Kadarius Toney might be ready to play against Kansas City on Monday

Kadarius Toney was well on his way to proving his value to the Giants and their fans when a right ankle injury — first on Oct. 10 and more seriously on Oct. 17 — hobbled the rookie receiver and, a week later, took him out of the equation completely.

But after not participating in practice at all this week, Toney was listed as limited in Friday’s practice, and coach Joe Judge said they’re slowly reacquainting him with the rest of the team. He said the same of Saquon Barkley (left ankle) and Kenny Golladay (right knee), but both of those players departed to join trainers as soon as the stretching portion of practice was over, while Toney stayed behind.

Toney was noncommittal about the state of his ankle, or even if he expects to play against Kansas City on Monday night.

"I was available to do enough — progress, you know," he said when asked what he accomplished in practice. He also indicated that a call on him very well could come down to a game-time decision, adding that he is just interested in following the process put forth by the trainers.

Toney originally injured his ankle against the Cowboys, a game in which he stepped up in the absence of Sterling Shepard and Golladay by making 10 catches for 189 yards. He made three catches in the first drive against the Rams a week later, but his day quickly was cut short after he hurt the ankle again.

In addition to his general athleticism and chemistry with quarterback Daniel Jones, Toney’s return also means a boost to special teams. Coordinator Thomas McGaughey said earlier this week that if Toney is healthy, the Giants are comfortable using him in all punt returns.

"You watch him catch the ball, catch a slant, he’s hard to bring down," McGaughey said. "Guys like that are a threat. The Tyreek Hills of the world are threats. They have coaches up at night thinking about how they’re going to stop the threat."

Kansas City coach Andy Reid all but confirmed that point in a conference call, saying Toney is "quick and shifty, and he can do a lot of things for you. I don’t know if he’s playing or not, but you’ve got to prepare for him for sure."

While few NFL players take the field fully healthy, Toney was very aware of the fact that his injury could be a target, something the Giants no doubt will have to factor in.

"Playing this sport here, you’re never going to be fully 100%," Toney said. "Anybody could go out with an ankle injury [and] you really wouldn’t know. [But] I feel like there’s a lot of light shed on my ankle. Like I said, it’s a day-by-day process."

Notes & quotes: Judge said it’s possible that cornerback Aaron Robinson, who underwent core muscle surgery in August, will return. "He was out there with us yesterday doing a lot more," Judge said. "He’s moving well. I’d say obviously coming off the injury, that kind of delayed his start with the season. I’d say he’s been very encouraging in terms of how he’s moving." . . . Linebacker Elerson Smith, who’s been fighting a hamstring injury since training camp, also might return this week, Judge said

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

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.