Yankees Say Aaron Judge Is Making Encouraging Rehab Progress

It’s a start for Aaron Judge, but the Yankees are not in the clear yet. The New York Yankees slugger will begin hitting off a tee in the next few days in anticipation of coming off the injured list and starting as a designated hitter. 

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told the Talkin’ Yanks podcast that Judge is expected to start hitting off a tee “today or tomorrow.” It’s the first sign of forward movement since the slugger landed on the injured list last week with a mild flexor strain in his right elbow.

But there’s still a ways to go.

Boone noted that Judge will need another 10 to 15 days before he can begin throwing again, a reminder that while the Yankees may have dodged the worst-case scenario, this remains a cautious, slow-moving rehab process.

Judge received a platelet-rich plasma injection shortly after the injury and hasn’t picked up a bat or ball since. The team initially expressed optimism that his stay on the IL could be a minimum of 10 days. Boone’s timeline reinforces that optimism, but the Yankees will have to see how he functions as a hitter after the injury. 

The Yankees have struggled without him. Entering Monday, the offense had gone 3-for-33 with runners in scoring position over the previous five games, and they’ve dropped 10 of their last 15 overall.

Judge with a .342 batting average, .449 on-base percentage, and 1.160 OPS while ranking third in the American League with 37 home runs and 85 RBIs.

 While the team hopes he’ll return sometime in August, his exact timeline remains murky and will depend on how his arm responds to the slow ramp-up.