New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge injured the toe on his right foot after trying to catch a ball off the rail in a game. This injury has kept him out of activity for the last two weeks.
This Wednesday the Yankees visited the Oakland Athletics and Judge could be seen practicing in the outfield and throwing some balls. Which gives good signs of the recovery of the MVP from last season.
However, Judge downplayed his progress in recovery and stated that he still has a way to go to return to the field. “It’s just one more step. I wouldn’t say it’s significant. There are many steps we have to take to get back out on the field, so this is just another step along the way,” the outfielder told MLB.com.
Judge’s recovery has been slow, his last appearance on the field was on June 3 when he suffered the aforementioned injury and despite the fact that this Wednesday he was seen doing some practice, the Yankee captain does not want to rush anything.
“I tried not to force, I moved a little bit, I did some things very slowly, like I was catching a ball down the line and pivoting around, sort of like I was looking for a ball between center and right and throwing to second, just to see how the charge felt. But the truth is that I didn’t feel much doing those things. It was a good sign for me. I look forward to going out tomorrow and doing it again,” he explained.
Needed for offense
The Yankees have been on a rather irregular streak, winning 7 of their last 20 games. The New York offense has also been quite weak, so Judge’s return to the team is a must for the Bronx.
For his part, coach Aaron Boone commented on the captain’s progress in his recovery. “It’s definitely good to see him here, walking around and playing. It’s a big step on the way back. It’s been slow, obviously, but at least we continue to see steady progress,” he asserted.
The next step for Judge will be to return to the batter’s box and practice his swing, although according to Boone there is no timetable for Judge to begin a hitting plan.
“Really being able to twist and turn on that back foot and stuff. When we get to that point where he can get loose from a hitting standpoint, that will be a good sign that it’s time to prepare him and get him ready.”
The New York Yankees sit in third place in the American League East Division, 9.5 off the lead with a record of 44 wins and 36 losses.
Keep reading:
· What would have to happen for the New York Yankees to join Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge?
Domingo Germán makes history by pitching the fourth perfect game in Yankee history
· Boricua Francisco Lindor reached 200 lifetime home runs in the Major Leagues