SAN DIEGO — At long last, there was Aaron Judge on the field at Petco Park on Friday, taking swings in the cage for all to see.
The back-to-back American League MVP downplayed the significance of taking on-field batting practice for the first time in his rehab process, but he acknowledged that it marked the latest box he checked off, with not many left before he could return to the Yankees, as soon as next week.
Judge, who started taking indoor batting practice about 10 days ago as he comes back from a right rib stress fracture, stepped in the box for four rounds of swings with his teammates and did not appear to be limited in how he was moving.
There is a measured pace to his batting practice even when he is not rehabbing an injury, but he looked smooth as he sprayed baseballs around the outfield.
“We’re hitting all the baseball stuff — throwing to bases, throwing, running the bases, hitting, getting on the field, moving around,” Judge said after finishing up. “I think just facing some live pitching [is next] and then we’ll get back out there.”
Judge is not expected to have a chance to face live pitching until the Yankees return home on Monday — could Clarke Schmidt veer from his rehab assignment and face Judge on the off day to kill two birds with one stone? — but he guessed he would need to do that “a couple times” before being cleared to return.
He hit off the Trajekt (a machine that simulates big leaguer’s pitches) last weekend and has faced high-velocity pitching machines in the cage during this road trip.
“He’s been hitting a lot now in the cage, pretty intense,” manager Aaron Boone said. “It’ll be good to see him out here — it’s one of the boxes, I guess, but he’s done more behind the scenes already than hitting BP.”
The captain reiterated his desire to skip a rehab assignment and get right back into real games after missing three-plus months, rejoining a team that is trying to chase down the Rays for the AL East.
Boone has said that it is “possible” Judge could return for the upcoming homestand that runs Tuesday through Sunday against the Rockies and Mets.
“I wanted to be back June 1 and that didn’t happen,” Judge quipped. “I’ll leave it up to the manager when he wants to put me in there.”
Judge was asked if it was starting to feel real, given that he is now doing full baseball activities and checking the final boxes.
“Yeah, but I’m mad how long it’s taken, so it is what it is,” he said. “I wish it was real two months ago. But we’re at this point and we’re getting close. Can’t wait to be back out there.”
There is still another hurdle or two to clear, along with continuing to respond well to the increase in workload. But it may not be long now before Judge is back.
“We feel good,” he said. “Just trying to get the volume up so we can be in a good spot, because not doing nothing for three months, it feels like it’s an offseason and you’re going back into spring training.”
