Aaron Judge traveled with the New York Yankees for their West Coast trip this week, and is nearing a return to the lineup, manager Aaron Boone said Monday night.
Speaking before New York opened a series against the Los Angeles Angels, Boone said his superstar outfielder is "doing well" as he recovers from a stress fracture in his rib. Judge hasn't appeared in a game since May 31 after playing with pain for over a month.
But when asked if he might be in the lineup when the Yankees return home Sept. 8 vs. the Colorado Rockies, the manager was optimistic.
"I think it's possible," Boone said. "I'm not going to put a date on it. But I think those things are in play now. Again, it's about getting the durability, and the workload built up on him, which is the biggest thing now."
Last week, Judge, 34, officially listed on the 60-day injured list, told reporters in New York that he needed to "be smart over the next couple of weeks" while ramping up his activity. He said, at the time, that he had not undergone another scan to measure the rib's healing since he was cleared for light physical activity at the beginning of August.
"He's here to kind of continue to ramp up baseball activities," Boone said during Monday's pregame media availability. "We're getting closer, but we feel good about where he's at."
The Yankees opened the road trip having just taken three of four from the Boston Red Sox. At 78-59 headed into the opener vs. the Angels, New York was in the No. 1 wild-card slot in the American League.
Judge is hitting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs this season.
