NEW YORK — The New York Yankees shared encouraging updates on two of their stars before Tuesday’s series-opener against the Houston Astros, as Aaron Judge and Max Fried have both taken steps in the right direction this week.
Judge, out since May 31 with a stress fracture in his first right rib, took batting practice in the cage and ran on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, Aaron Boone said before the Bombers’ 9-7 loss to Houston. Boone specified that Judge expected to see some overhand pitching on Tuesday. The back-to-back MVP previously hit off the tee and against soft toss.
“He’s doing pretty well,” Boone said.
The manager added that Judge also threw from over 100 feet and shagged fly balls while Fried and Brendan Beck threw live batting practice during Monday’s off day.
It’s unclear when Judge will take his next steps, but he’s still a few away from getting into game action. Facing velocity and live pitching are among the items on his to-do list.
“He’s got a calendar of what they’re doing, but you make adjustments to that as you go,” Boone said. “So definitely mapping things out, but as you check some boxes and move on, sometimes that progress speeds up a little bit. Sometimes you take a step back.”
As Judge continues to progress, it will be interesting to see what his swing looks like. The location of his injury has led some to wonder if he’ll be hindered — Judge did slump for a few weeks while playing through pain prior to going on the IL — but Boone didn’t share those concerns on Tuesday.
“I haven’t really asked that question,” the skipper said when asked if he expects Judge to regain his bat speed and power. “My expectation is that he’s going to be Aaron Judge.”
The Yankees are counting on that, as they entered Tuesday with the worst wRC+ (87) and the second-fewest runs scored (274) since Judge last played. That was before their seven-run showing, which featured a three-run bomb from Cody Bellinger and a two-run shot from Luis García Jr., as well as poor performances from relievers Fernando Cruz and Brent Headrick.
Boone also expects to primarily use Judge in right field, even though he acknowledged that that “inherently” comes with more risk. While Judge could get some DH days here and there, the Yankees still need that slot for their surplus of DH/first base types: Ben Rice, Paul Goldschmidt and Luis García Jr.
That’s the case even with full-time DH Giancarlo Stanton suffering yet another calf strain.
“I don’t expect [Judge] to be diving or things like that, but [fielding] brings a greater risk than just swinging,” Boone said. “Playing brings risk. But we’re not going to put him out there where he’s in jeopardy. If he’s not ready to go, he’s not ready to go.”
As the Yankees eagerly await the return of their captain, their co-ace appears much closer to activation.
Fried, who returned to the IL on Aug. 17 with his second left elbow bone bruise of the season, threw 60 pitches over four simulated innings on Monday. Boone said that the lefty is “potentially” in play to start on Saturday, when the Yankees will host the Red Sox for a doubleheader.
“We’ll see where we are as these next couple days unfold,” Boone said.
Meanwhile, Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said that Fried will likely be in the 60-pitch range should he return this weekend.
Getting Fried back so soon would certainly be a positive development for the Yankees, as he missed two months with his first bone bruise. The Yankees also just lost fellow southpaw starter Ryan Weathers to a flexor strain, so their rotation depth is a bit thin at the moment.