In his first public comments since beginning baseball activities, Aaron Judge twice said he is attempting to “speed through” his rehab and return as soon as possible.
In Judge’s mind and probably the Yankees’, too, an expedited activation would mean no trips to Somerset or Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The Yankees captain, who Tuesday graduated to indoor batting practice for the first time since being diagnosed with a stress fracture of his rib, sees no point in spending time in the minors when the major league team needs him quickly for the stretch run.
“I didn’t rehab in ’23 when I missed probably the same amount of time,” said Judge, who has missed nearly three months this time and three years ago was sidelined for nearly two months after tearing a ligament in his big toe. “Why waste at-bats? Why waste anything down in a minor league game?
“I’ve been doing this for a while now, and I got a sense of what I need to do on the field and how to manage it.”
Informed about Judge’s wishes, manager Aaron Boone smiled and said Judge has relayed the same to Boone.
Go beyond the box score with the Bombers
Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+.
Thank you
“If and when we get to that point, we’ll work through all that,” Boone said before the Yankees finished a series with the Astros on Thursday.
Physically, Judge said he feels “great” and has encountered no setbacks in his early days of baseball activity. He has been throwing in the outfield, running and now hitting in the cage.
He declined to offer when, exactly, he could return but said “hopefully soon,” with the biggest obstacle simply doing more of everything.
“We build up the volume so I can go out there and finish the season strong,” Judge said.
