ANAHEIM, Calif. — The question is no longer whether Aaron Judge will play again this season. It is how quickly the Yankees capatin can build a major league-ready workload without sacrificing the controlled steps that have defined his rehab.
That distinction matters because New York has entered September with little room for wasted days. The Yankees improved to 79-60 with a 7-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night, leaving them 4 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East and four games ahead of Boston for the top American League wild card.
Judge has not appeared in a major league game since May 31. He traveled with the Yankees on their six-game Southern California trip instead of remaining in New York. The decision keeps him around the clubhouse and allows him to continue running, throwing, taking fly balls and hitting while the Yankees move from Anaheim to San Diego.
Judge also wants to avoid a minor league rehab assignment. That changes the value of every substitute for real at-bats. The Yankees must recreate enough game speed for a hitter who has spent three months away from MLB pitching, then decide whether his timing and body can handle an immediate return to the lineup.
It also compresses the calendar..
The next several days therefore are not simply about whether Judge feels healthy. They are about the quality of the repetitions available before the Yankees make one of their most important roster decisions of the stretch run, with Judge preparing to face playoff-level pitching after such a long layoff.
The wrinkle surfaced just before the Yankees left home. Judge hit against the Trajekt pitching machine over the weekend, checking off the high-velocity simulation step he had not reached earlier in his rehab. But the Yankees do not have access to their Trajekt setup on this trip, removing one of the most exact tools Judge planned to use while trying to skip the minors.
Boone’s focus shifts to reps and endurance
The Yankees open their next homestand Sept. 8 against Colorado, and Aaron Boone has said a return during that homestand is possible if Judge continues to build durability and volume.
Boone said Tuesday that Judge did substantial hitting Monday, including separate hitting periods designed to mimic the stop-and-start rhythm of a game day.
The Yankees manager also said Judge’s speed and strength were in a good place. The priority now is repetitions and endurance, a shift from August when Judge was limited to tee work, toss drills and overhand batting practice.
“He did quite a bit of hitting [Monday] and spaced it out a little bit — he went back in and hit during the game some, so it’s kind of replicating that doing some work, sit down, go back and do some things,” the Yankees skipper informed. “He’s doing well. I talked to him again today, he feels really good. He’s running well, his speed’s in a good place, his strength’s in a good place. Now it’s just about reps and building that endurance.”
Judge has said he does not believe a minor league rehab assignment is necessary. The Yankees have not committed to that plan, leaving the decision tied to how his body responds as the workload rises.
Yankees lose their most exact velocity simulator
Trajekt can reproduce major league velocity, spin, movement and release points from tracking data and video. MLB has described it as a tool for seeing specific pitch shapes in an indoor cage.
Judge had identified Trajekt, machine work and at-bats against rehabbing pitchers as possible alternatives to a traditional rehab assignment.
On the road, the Yankees can use high-velocity pitching machines. Judge also can stand in during bullpen sessions without swinging. He tracked Max Fried in the visiting bullpen at Angel Stadium on Tuesday.
Judge went on the injured list June 5, retroactive to June 2, with a stress fracture of his right first rib. He traced the injury to a diving attempt April 26 in Houston and last played May 31.
“Standing in on pens, doing Trajekt the other day, seeing velocity, all those things are helping him get prepared to get back into game play,” Boone admitted.
A one-day bridge could shape Sept. 8
New York finishes the road trip Sunday, Sept. 6, at San Diego. The Yankees are off Monday before hosting Colorado on Tuesday night. Boone has indicated Judge could face live pitching once the club gets home, potentially Monday.
A Sept. 8 activation therefore could give Judge only one day between the end of the trip and a return to the Yankees lineup to take true live at-bats, assuming the club can arrange them Monday. Sept. 8 also would be 100 days after his last major league game.
That is the unusual preparation gap created by the no-rehab plan. The Yankees can keep Judge moving forward in California, but the most game-specific work may have to wait until New York.
Yankees need Judge ready for MLB velocity
Baseball Savant lists Judge at .248 with a .375 on-base percentage and .533 slugging percentage in 59 games. He has 17 home runs and 38 RBIs, with a 94.1 mph average exit velocity.
The Yankees need more than a healthy roster move. They need Judge capable of handling major league velocity, recovering between games and playing the outfield as the postseason race tightens.
That is why losing Trajekt access matters. Judge has reached the phase in which velocity, timing and endurance are the remaining tests. The Yankees have substitutes available, but not the exact tool he used before leaving New York.
For now, Sept. 8 remains possible rather than firm. Judge is progressing, the Yankees are building his workload, and a direct return remains on the table. The final call will depend on how much confidence New York gains from this less-controlled week before Judge can face live pitching again.
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