Aaron Judge has been out since May 31 as he recovers from a stress fracture in his rib.
With the postseason getting closer, the Yankees need the star slugger to make his much-anticipated return soon. Judge took a major step toward returning on Friday.
"Aaron Judge played catch yesterday for the first time in his rehab, per Boone," Yankees insider Greg Joyce reported on Saturday. "Still has a ways to go in building up to full baseball activities, but he has now at least started that process."
The Yankees offense has really struggled since Judge got hurt. It does not help that they are also without Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton at the moment. However, getting Judge back for the final stretch and postseason would be huge for the Yankees. It's hard to imagine them winning the World Series without him.
He still has plenty of hurdles to clear before he's ready to play, but this is the first real sign of progress for the three-time MVP. Judge was hitting .248 before he got hurt, but had a .907 OPS. Those numbers are low for his standards, but there is no doubt he was bound to get back to his usual dominance.
The Yankees still have an outside chance to win the division, but they could really use Judge to secure the top wild card spot and ensure at least one series at Yankee Stadium.