Yankees get good news on Aaron Judge

The Yankees don’t know when Aaron Judge will be back in the lineup, but he’s taken a massive step forward in his recovery.

At this point, Yankees fans will jump on any piece of good news about injured slugger Aaron Judge. Today, they got a quality reason to celebrate. Judge swung a bat to hit off a tee for the first time since fracturing his wrist six weeks ago.

This doesn’t mean he’s ready to jump back into the fray against live pitching, but it was a significant step forward. The talented outfielder reported zero pain after taking cuts before his team’s game at Oakland on Monday afternoon. He told reporters he didn’t feel “too much of anything” other than soreness after his time with the bat.

The organization won’t plan the next steps of Judge’s recovery until they evaluate how his wrist feels on Tuesday morning. Everyone is encouraged by his body’s initial reaction to the swings, but soreness could turn into pain overnight. If that happens, expect Judge to be shut down for a few more days.

If, on the other hand, he wakes up pain-free, the Yankees will have the option to accelerate his return to the lineup. Judge will need to move on to soft toss and swings against live pitching in the cage before the team can really nail down a potential return date.

No matter how you view this latest development, it’s an important development for the Yankees. Exactly when Judge returns to the lineup is less important than his ability to come back in time to help this lineup during the playoffs. That’s the only concern the organization should have at this point.

Progressing to the point where he can take swings greatly reduces the possibility that he’ll be forced to miss the rest of the 2018 season. That’s great news for a team that desperately wants to make noise in October.