Yankees facing final ‘question’ for Aaron Judge before his return

A comeback is in sight for Aaron Judge, and the New York Yankees want to make sure they help him do it right.

Judge, who has not played since May due to a fractured rib, has been inching closer to returning to the field. Veteran MLB reporter Ken Rosenthal shared Saturday that the “picture is getting clearer” on Judge’s recovery.

Rosenthal reported on Judge right before the Yankees hosted the Boston Red Sox for the second game of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y. Per Rosenthal, Judge is expected to fly with the team for their six-game road trip in California and could potentially return as soon as the subsequent home stand against the Colorado Rockies beginning on Sept. 8.

The Yankees are reportedly “still undecided” about whether Judge would need to do a rehab assignment before seeing big-league at-bats again. Per Rosenthal, the team is considering having Judge face advanced pitching machines instead that could simulate major-league pitching. The drawback would be that such machines cannot provide Judge with actual in-game conditions.

Every Triple-A pitcher may need to check their team calendars to see if they’re facing the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, anytime soon. If the Yankees feel like the machines won’t cut it for Judge, the Yankees’ single-season home run record holder may be on deck.