The New York Yankees have been without superstar Aaron Judge for over two months due to a rib injury, and whether or not he’ll return this season remains a major question.
New York has made it known that the plan is for him to return this season, and on Thursday, before the team’s series finale against the Baltimore Orioles, Yankees manager Aaron Boone provided the biggest update yet on his progression.
Boone Reveals Update on Judge
Judge started doing some light work Wednesday, and according to Boone, he has now finally put a bat back in his hands and is hitting off a tee. This marks another step forward for the eight-time All-Star and three-time MVP.
“It seems to be going well,” Boone said via Brian Hoch of MLB.com.
Aaron Judge has started hitting off the tee, Aaron Boone said. “It seems to be going well.”
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) August 20, 2026
Yankees Fans React on Social Media
As expected, Yankees fans reacted with excitement after hearing that Judge finally is swinging a bat again.
“The world is healing,” a fan said.
Someone else added, “Every day he keeps progressing more and more. He might be back sooner than we expect. Teams in the AL are already shaking. If we even have an average offense with how good this pitching staff is this team could do serious damage.”
Another person wrote, “I’m so excited, I’m so excited, I’m so… scared.”
“Oh boy Cap getting closer,” one more fan commented.
When Could Judge Return?
This remains the biggest question that fans want answered, but it simply comes down to how Judge continues to progress through his rehab. Hitting off a tee represents one of the early steps in that process.
After that, he’ll likely have to face light pitching off the mound before taking actual live batting practice. The Yankees could also have him go through a rehab stint in the minor leagues if they want him to get some at-bats before throwing him right back into a big league lineup down the stretch of the season.
Yankees’ Aaron Boone Reveals Important Injury Update on Aaron Judge