Judge to face live pitching Monday, setting up long-awaited return

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The Yankees have no game scheduled for Monday, but Yankee Stadium is still expected to host one of its most important events in months.

Aaron Judge is scheduled to face live pitching for the first time since breaking a rib in late May, suggesting the captain could be in the lineup during this homestand against the Rockies and Mets -- a return that, in Judge’s mind, is long overdue.​

“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 said on Sunday that the club is working to determine which pitchers will face the three-time American League Most Valuable Player during the workout.

“He’s close to the endgame of being ready to play,” Boone said.

Boone said he has been encouraged by how the club handled Judge’s absence, but there’s no substitute for having his right-handed presence back in the heart of the batting order.

They were 36-23 (.610) when Judge last played; entering Sunday, they were 45-38 (.542) without him.

“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.”

Asked if activating Judge for Tuesday’s series opener against the Rockies would be unrealistic, Boone replied: “I don’t know. We’ll see.”

Judge doesn’t have the answer, either, saying only: “Hopefully soon.” He accompanied the club for their six-game West Coast trip, watching every pitch alongside his teammates in the dugout.

“The guys are rolling, guys are swinging the bat well,” Judge said. “Especially getting a chance to give Spencer [Jones] a little run here in the outfield, which is great. Giving [Heliot] Ramos a chance to get his feet wet in New York a little bit. Whenever [Boone] calls and needs me, I’ll be there.”

The week ahead may feature a tug-of-war between Judge and the Yankees’ front office. Judge has been adamant that he does not want to go on a Minor League rehab assignment, explaining, “I don’t see a point. Why waste at-bats? They haven’t told me they want me to do one, so we’ll see.”

Double-A Somerset is home this week, which remains an option. But Boone said there are creative ways to build Judge’s stamina; the manager suggested one scenario is “on the table” in which Judge would play for five to seven innings, then exit.

That’s less than ideal, considering the Yankees are in a pennant race, but having Judge back in the lineup for a portion of a game is better than not at all.

“It’s been a while,” Ben Rice said. “We’re all as eager to have him back now as we were right when he went out. It’ll mean a lot to us.”

Cleared to resume baseball activities in August, Judge has progressed from tee-and-toss drills to taking overhand batting practice, including twice on the field during the Yankees’ series in San Diego.

Judge has also been facing velocity on machines, running bases and performing outfield drills; during one such workout on Saturday, Judge delivered a one-hop throw to third base from medium-depth right field.

Having Judge move around in his cleats is significant, because given the Yankees’ roster construction, they intend to have him return as the starting right fielder -- not simply as a designated hitter.

Of course, after months of relative inactivity that Judge likened to an extra offseason, it remains to be seen if there will be signs of rust.

“I’m not too worried about the power or bat speed,” Judge said. “I feel like even if it’s a tick off, I still think it’s better than nothing.”

Once he’s back in the outfield, Judge will be encouraged to avoid diving if possible -- the initial injury occurred attempting to catch a pop fly on April 26 at Houston.

“We’ve got to be smart about those things,” Boone said. “He is more selective about that stuff over the last several years, actually.”

Judge said he believes he can perform under control if necessary, but he’ll still be ready to put his body on the line when the games count most.

“We’ll be back out there and continue to play smart,” Judge said, “especially in the rest of this year and then going into the postseason.”