BALTIMORE — Aaron Judge is set to take the next step in his comeback from a fractured rib that’s already kept him out for nearly three months.
Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Judge will be “introduced to his hitting progression this week.” Judge, according to the manager, has been doing “swing-related stuff” in the pool in recent days.
“He’s progressing,” Boone said. “It’s all part of the process. Hopefully it goes well. The fact that he’s responded in this first week of added intensity — as far as being allowed to do some things upper-body-wise — playing catch, running — it’s all part of his buildup.”
Judge had been limited to lower-body and light resistance training before playing catch last week for the first time since hitting the IL.
Boone wasn’t sure exactly when Judge would start swinging, but it’s a sign that he at least hasn’t suffered any setbacks.
There remains no public timeline for his return.
Cody Bellinger’s return from a strained left hamstring to an offense that has collapsed without him and Judge — as well as Giancarlo Stanton — is more imminent.
The outfielder was at Camden Yards on Tuesday and said he will play a minor league rehab game with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.
He anticipated needing more than just the one game before a return to the Yankee lineup, but didn’t rule out getting back to the majors.
“We’ll assess how I feel,” Bellinger said. “The last few days I’ve gone about as close to 100 percent as I could give in a non-game setting. … We’ll see how it goes.”
He’s well aware of the lineup’s struggles without the big bats.
“I’ve wanted to get back for a while,” Bellinger said. “But you always want to be realistic. You want to come back and stay.”
As for Stanton, out since April with multiple calf strains, Boone said he was “towards the end of his running program. The intensity has picked up. He’s responded well.”
But it’s Judge’s absence that has hurt the most, as the Yankees entered Tuesday with the third-worst OPS and third-fewest runs scored since he’s been out.
Clarke Schmidt pitched off a mound Tuesday as he progresses in his comeback from Tommy John surgery, while Luis Gil ended his rehab assignment and is now at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Both right-handers are potential options to join the bullpen down the stretch.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. was back in the lineup after sitting against a right-hander Sunday in Toronto.
Boone said he considered putting José Caballero in the lineup again after Caballero sparked the offense in a victory against the Blue Jays.
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“It was good to see [Caballero] have a good day,’’ Boone said. “He’s been going through it, too.”
Few players have been going through it to the extent that Chisholm has.
Of the 91 players who entered Tuesday with at least 450 plate appearances, Chisholm had the seventh-worst OPS (.683).
Heliot Ramos started against a right-hander again, despite his ongoing struggles and that the Yankees brought him in at the trade deadline from San Francisco because he hit well versus lefties.
