NEW YORK – Aaron Judge resumed throwing to bases on Sunday afternoon, the first time the Yankees’ captain has done so since sustaining a right flexor strain on July 22. He called the session “checking a box” toward his return to outfield play.
Judge has been used as a designated hitter since being activated from the injured list Aug. 5, and said he does not know when he will be permitted to resume playing the outfield, deferring to the club’s medical staff.
“It’s brutal. I’m a ballplayer,” Judge said. “I want to play both sides of the ball. I want to be out there making plays on defense, helping my team out. I know hitting is important, but I feel like I can impact the team on both sides. I can’t wait to be back out there.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone also said he doesn’t know when Judge will be cleared for outfield play, but called Sunday’s display “another good step forward.”
Over the past several days, Judge has been tossing at distances of approximately 150 feet, though he does not appear to be throwing with full velocity.
“The name of the game right now is just making sure I can push the volume, push the level of it, and also make sure that I’m recovered enough to go out there and keep pushing it the next day,” Judge said. “Our training staff does a great job at that. They’re helping me try to get out there as fast as I can. I think they all know I want to be back out there.”
Judge also hasn’t been an MVP-level force at the plate since returning from the IL. In 16 games entering Sunday, Judge has hit .218/.386/.418 with three homers and seven RBIs, compared to .342/.449/.711 with 37 homers and 85 RBIs in 103 games before the injury.
He says the issue is not affecting his swing.
“It’s only when I try to throw,” Judge said.
Following the July 22 injury, which was sustained attempting to throw out the Blue Jays’ Davis Schneider at home plate, Judge went on the 10-day injured list and received a platelet-rich plasma injection intended to speed healing.
With Judge locked into the DH role, Giancarlo Stanton has been playing the outfield, something he did not do all of 2024.
Sunday marked Stanton’s 10th appearance in right field since Aug. 9; Boone has said the Yankees must expect to “live with some limitations out there” on the days Stanton plays defense.
“The bottom line is, we want to do this the right way,” Boone said. “As much as [Judge] wants to be out there and we want him out there, we want to do everything possible to put ourselves in the best position to not re-injure this.”