It’s still not clear when New York Yankees star Aaron Judge will make his return to the outfield, but he took a significant step in that direction on Sunday.
Judge threw to bases at Yankee Stadium for the first time since he went down with a flexor strain in his right arm earlier this month. Judge threw balls from about 150 feet out ahead of the Yankees’ 7-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night, which wrapped up the four-game series and allowed the Yankees to avoid the sweep.
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As for when he’ll be fully recovered and back in the outfield, though, neither he nor manager Aaron Boone had a clear answer.
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“The bottom line is we want to do this the right way,” Boone said, via ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. “And as much as he wants to be out there and we want him out there, we’ve got to make sure we want to do everything possible to put ourselves in the best position to not re-injure this.”
Judge has been the Yankees’ designated hitter since he came off the injured list on Aug. 5, and Giancarlo Stanton has taken his place in right field.
Judge entered Sunday’s series finale with the Red Sox with a league-high .326 batting average with 40 home runs and 92 RBIs. His production has been down significantly since he transitioned into the designated hitter role, however. He’s held just a .218 batting average over that span, and he went 0-for-3 on Sunday.
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The Yankees now hold a 70-60 record after the five-run win over the Red Sox. They had lost three straight to Boston before win, and they are in third in the AL East standings while holding onto a wild-card spot.
Though it’s unknown when Judge will get to return to the outfield — he said Sunday he’s still not feeling 100%, and he was still undergoing “quite a bit” of treatment — his presence should make quite the difference for the Yankees as they enter the last stretch of the regular season. He just has to get there first.
“I’m a ballplayer,” Judge said. “I want to play both sides of the ball and go out there, making plays on defense, helping my team out. I know hitting’s important and all that, but I feel like I can impact this team on both sides, so I can’t wait to get back out there.”
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