After having the day off on Monday, the New York Yankees will begin a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night.
Before Tuesday’s game, news regarding outfielder Aaron Judge emerged.
New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge Takes Batting Practice Before Rockies Series
Judge, who has been on the injured list since early June due to a right rib fracture, took a major step toward returning from the IL.
The outfielder took batting practice at Yankee Stadium on Monday, according to MLB Network.
(via @MLBNetwork) t.co/GiAsTKG4JY
Yankees manager Aaron Boone recently said that Judge is “close to the endgame of being ready to play,” according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
Judge said he hopes to return without going on a minor-league rehab assignment. If that is the case, he could be activated as soon as this upcoming homestand.
New York Yankees Close To Getting Aaron Judge Back
The Yankees will wrap up their three-game series against the Rockies on Thursday. Then, the Yankees will host the New York Mets for a three-game set over the weekend.
Getting Judge back as soon as possible could end up being crucial for New York. While the Yankees are sitting comfortably in a playoff spot, they have just a 2 1/2-game lead over the Boston Red Sox for the top AL Wild Card spot and are four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East.
Before landing on the IL, Judge slashed .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI over 59 games this season.
Throughout his big-league career, Judge has won three AL MVP awards while slashing .291/.411/.611 with 385 home runs and 868 RBI over 1,204 games.
New York Yankees Right Now
The Yankees have won six of their last 10 games. They are coming off a 2-1 series loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
Before the Padres series, the Yankees won two of three games against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium.
Game 1 of the series between the Yankees and Rockies is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.
Cam Schlittler will start for New York on Tuesday. Gabriel Hughes is slated to start for the Rockies.
New York Yankees Get Aaron Judge News Before Rockies Series