Aaron Judge still has a long road ahead from returning to the Yankees from a fractured rib injury, but the slugger recently took a step in the right direction.
According to manager Aaron Boone, who spoke to reporters before New York continues its series against the Blue Jays in Toronto, Judge played catch for the first time during his rehab process on Friday.
While it's certainly good news for Judge and the Yanks, the outfielder still has a ways to go in building up to full baseball activities. Regardless, it's good to hear that he has at least begun that process and is getting closer to a return.
Judge hasn't played in a game since May 31, although the fractured rib can likely be traced back to April when he made a diving attempt in the outfield. Before his injury, the 34-year-old was having a bit of a down season for his standards but still had 17 home runs and a .907 OPS.
More importantly, with Judge in the lineup, New York's offense was in a groove, but since landing on the IL the Yankees have struggled to score runs consistently, including in their 3-1 loss to the Blue Jays on Friday night.