The New York Yankees are ready for the return of Aaron Judge, and the team’s network is helping to hype up his late-season comeback.
Judge has been out for months while dealing with the lingering effects of a broken rib. He has been working steadily through rehab, with an expected final step coming this week.
With Judge’s return now expected to come in a matter of days, the YES Network is helping to build anticipation.
Yankees Network Building Up to Aaron Judge Return
The network, which is partially owned by the Yankees, posted a video on Monday with a simple message.
“Returning soon,” the post read.
The video showed images of the number 99 across New York City, building up to a shot of Judge jogging up the steps of the dugout and toward the field.
The post drew a big reaction from Yankees fans, who have been waiting for Judge’s return since he first went on the injured list in the late spring. The Yankees remain in the thick of the playoff race, with Judge returning in time for the team to make a late run.
Aaron Judge Takes Big Step Forward
Though the Yankees were off on Monday, Judge was scheduled to face live pitching for the first time since he went down with a broken rib in late May, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reported. The report added that Judge would be on track to join his team for their homestand against the Colorado Rockies and New York Mets.
“I wanted to be back June 1, but that didn’t happen,” Judge said. “I’ll leave it up to the manager when he wants to put me in there.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone has been optimistic about Judge’s return, but held back from putting any hard timelines to when he would take the field again. Boone remained upbeat this week, hinting that Judge has reached the final phases of his rehab.
“He’s close to the endgame of being ready to play,” Boone said.
The Yankees manager added that the team has missed the effect Judge has at the plate, with several other players struggling without his bat to energize the lineup.
“We’ve had long stretches where the offense has struggled. I think a big part of that is not having your guy,” Boone said. “I also feel like that’s ticked up here in the last couple of weeks, where we’ve really started to play better offensively. We certainly look forward to getting our guy back.”
Yankees Give Strong Indication on Aaron Judge’s Next Step