Judge Is Throwing Again — And The Comeback Clock Is Ticking

NEW YORK — The Captain is back in the lab. Aaron Judge took a massive step in his rehab Friday, playing catch and running in New York as he works his way back from a broken right rib.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone gave the update before Saturday's showdown in Toronto, and while there's still no official return date, the news is enough to make Yankees fans feel things again.

“Part of the ramp-up”

“Just part of the ramp-up to baseball activity,” Boone said. “Hopefully he'll continue to progress through this week. We'll see what else gets introduced.”

Judge hasn't suited up since May 31. Yeah, it's been that long. But the three-time AL MVP and eight-time All-Star has made it clear he intends to play again this season. He was cleared to begin light workouts on Aug. 5, and now he's airing it out — for the first time in this rehab — and Boone says the slugger responded well.

“We expect him back, but we're in the early stages of baseball activity,” Boone said. “Hopefully things continue to go well.”

The numbers so far

Before the injury, Judge was hitting .248 with 17 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .907 OPS. Not vintage Judge, but let's be real — even a banged-up Judge changes the entire gravity of that lineup. He had gone cold before landing on the IL, with just one homer in his final 18 games, but when he's right, he's the most dangerous man in the sport.

Nobody's rushing this. But with every toss of the ball, the comeback gets a little more real.