Aaron Judge Confident of Return to Yankees Lineup This Year

What happened?

Yankees captain Aaron Judge is convinced that he will return to the team's lineup this year, despite being sidelined with a fractured rib for six weeks. Judge has been undergoing additional imaging and waiting for clearance from doctors to begin baseball activities.

Judge, who has been feeling "ten times better" than when he first went on the injured list on June 2, expressed his confidence in returning to the lineup before the season is over. "Definitely," Judge said on Friday in front of his locker when asked if he would be back before the season is over. "I don't see why I wouldn't."

Why it matters for Aaron Judge

Judge's return to the lineup is crucial for the Yankees, who have been struggling without their star player. The team is waiting for Judge to receive clearance from doctors to begin baseball activities, and they are consulting with a wide network of doctors and specialists regarding his injury.

Judge has been doing lower-body work, including walking on a treadmill on an incline, but he has been shut down from participating in more intense activities, such as riding a bike, due to the risk of putting pressure on his ribs. "Oh, it's been the worst," Judge said of the past six weeks. "I want to play. That's why I'm here. That's why I get paid, to play big games for the Yankees."

What comes next?

The Yankees are waiting for Dr. Gregory Pearl, a Dallas-based vascular surgeon, to provide a clearer update on Judge's injury. They expected to receive news from Dr. Pearl on Friday, before the Yankees took on the Dodgers in the Bronx, or by Saturday, the latest. Judge is eager to bypass minor-league rehab games and jump directly back into the Yankees lineup, but he will have to talk to the team about this plan.

"I hate rehab games," Judge said. "So I gotta talk to them about all that, because why waste some at-bats in a rehab game? So we'll see. I'm not too sure about that." The Yankees are taking a cautious approach to Judge's return, and they are waiting for the fracture to heal "all the way through," in Judge's words.

category: player_focus