Aaron Judge Injury Update: Yankees MVP hits off tee, takes soft toss as slugger ramps up for Opening Day
Aaron Judge continues to work toward getting back on the field. He has said in the past that he'd play if it were the regular season, but that spring is a time for caution. Nevertheless, getting Judge back to the lineup is an important thing to accomplish before the regular season, and he has taken steps to that end.
Chris Kirschner, a beat reporter for the Athletic, confirmed Aaron Judge's increased activity on X:
"The Yankees say Aaron Judge hit off the tee, did soft toss and hit off the machine today. Was scheduled to hit outside but no one who stayed back did."
Judge was dealing with an abdomen issue and was described as "mid-spring beat up" by manager Aaron Boone. His MRI was negative and both he and the team have said that they are aiming for March 28 for a return to the lineup.
That is when the New York Yankees officially take the field for the first time this season as they try and get back to the postseason. Judge is as necessary to that goal as any player for his team in MLB, so this increased hitting activity is a positive development.
Aaron Judge injury update brings more positive developments
Aaron Judge recently, before he officially took batting practice off the tee, said that he was feeling "great" and that he was in good shape to be back in the lineup by the time the Yankees take on the Houston Astros to open the season.
He told reporters that a Spring Training game was not something he felt the need to push it for, thus he's not been in the lineup:
“Like I’ve told you guys, there’s no rush. We’re feeling great, though. If this is the regular season, I’m definitely in there right now. Our goal is March 28.”
The Yankees have their fair share of injury woes, including to Gerrit Cole. He will be out at least 10 weeks, so they can ill-afford to lose their best offensive player for any amount of time.