Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge cleared for batting practice
Yankees' OF Aaron Judge looking in a fly balls during spring training in Tampa, FL on Thursday Feb. 20, 2020. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
TAMPA, Fla. — Aaron Judge has been cleared for batting practice.
On a day the Yankees shut down Luis Severino because of right forearm soreness, there appeared to be some positive news on the injury front with Judge, who had been extremely limited during the first three days of full-squad workouts.
“He threw again today, went well,” manager Aaron Boone said Thursday. “He threw out a little further today [at 90 feet, as he did for a bit Wednesday]. I expect him to start his hitting program and ramp that up tomorrow, so he’ll be in the cage, probably, hitting off the tee. Feel good about where he’s at.”
Judge, who missed one game late last season after jamming the shoulder while making a diving attempt in the outfield, said on Tuesday that the soreness began a couple of weeks ago shortly after he reported to Tampa to get an early start on spring training.
Neither he nor Boone has sounded especially concerned about it. The slow but steady progress he’s made the last three days would seem to back up that overall lack of worry.
“Nothing alarming,” Judge said Tuesday. “Nothing that I was like, ‘Hey, we need to really check this out.’ So I said, ‘Hey, we’ve got plenty of time going into spring training. Let’s take it slow these next couple days, make sure everything’s right, and then kind of go from there.' ”
Extra bases
Gary Sanchez hit a long homer off Jordan Montgomery during a live BP session . . . Righthanders Deivi Garcia and Albert Abreu, two touted prospects, raised some eyebrows — all in positive ways — during their live BP sessions Thursday . . . J.A. Happ is slated to start the Yankees’ Grapefruit League opener Saturday at home against the Blue Jays. The Yankees haven’t said who will start Sunday in Port Charlotte against Tampa Bay, but Gerrit Cole will make his first start Monday night at Steinbrenner Field against the Pirates.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
More Yankees headlines
