New York Yankees' Aaron Judge is Finally Making Progress in Return From Toe Injury
After being out since the beginning of June with injury, New York Yankees star Aaron Judge finally saw some real progress in his recovery on Friday.
The following report comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:
Judge (toe) took on-field batting practice at Coors Field on Friday and also did some running, though not at full speed, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
ANALYSIS
Last year's AL MVP seems to be making progress, but regardless he remains unwilling to talk about a possible target date for his return to the Yankees. While Judge said he did not feel limited in any way during his batting practice session, he's still wearing orthotic insoles to aid with the torn ligament in his right big toe. Manager Aaron Boone did not want to put a target date on Judge's return either.
After winning the MVP a season ago, Judge is hitting .291 this year with 19 homers and 40 RBI. He's added three stolen bases. For his career, he's a .284 hitter with 239 home runs.
Judge signed a massive nine-year, $360 million contract this offseason that will likely keep him in New York for the rest of his career. In addition to the MVP award, Judge has won Rookie of the Year, a home run derby title, three Silver Slugger awards, and is a five-time All-Star selection.
Though there is no official timeline for his return, it's looking increasingly likely that Judge will be able to return this season at least, which is huge for a Yankees team battling for a playoff spot.
The Yankees are currently 49-43 which has them tied for last in the American League East, and 2.0 games back in the wild card race.
Follow Fastball on FanNation in social media
Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.
You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.