Aaron Judge to hit against Jonathan Loaisiga on Sunday
The Yankees' Aaron Judge takes batting practice before an MLB game against the Royals at Yankee Stadium on Friday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Aaron Judge’s return is casting its long shadow on Yankee Stadium: The team still won’t reveal — and probably doesn’t exactly know — when the slugger will rejoin the active roster, but all the signs indicate that it’ll be relatively soon.
Judge, who ran the bases Wednesday and Friday, is scheduled to hit against Jonathan Loaisiga on Sunday — the first time he’s faced live pitching since going on the injured list with a torn ligament in his right big toe. He also took batting practice again Friday.
Aaron Boone said that depending on what happens Sunday, the Yankees will “potentially” have a timeline for Judge’s return then.
“We’ll probably ramp up baseball activities going into Sunday,” Boone said, adding that he wasn’t sure if they’ll have Judge play in a few simulated games or put him in a rehab assignment after facing Loaisiga.
“See some pitching — that’s about it,” Judge said of the next steps. “You know, it’s not going to be pain-free but as close to manageable as we can . . . Progression is going well. We keep getting closer. I felt good running the bases, so hopefully I’m taking another step forward today.”
Though there’s been talk of protecting Judge in the DH role down the stretch, he unsurprisingly said he would prefer to play rightfield upon his return. He doesn’t have issues moving backward and forward, he said. “It’s more the agility, the quick movement, the side to side,” he said.
Bader OK
The oft-injured Harrison Bader seems to have avoided the worst after getting hit in the back with a pitch Wednesday. Bader, who recently returned from the injured list with a hamstring injury, was out of the lineup Friday but potentially available off the bench, Boone said.
“He walked into my office first thing today when he got here and said I’m available and feeling pretty good,” Boone said.
Bader, who suffered a left posterior rib contusion, will continue to receive treatment and be monitored by the team’s medical staff.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
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