Aaron Judge is no longer talking about “getting closer.” He is already checking off the final boxes ahead of his return to the active roster. The anticipation surrounding the Yankees captain’s return has stretched over three months, with concerns lingering about his recovery and whether he can immediately return to his former level. Judge has largely remained positive, and in a recent interview with YES Network, he provided his clearest update yet on where things stand.

“We’re feeling great,” he told Meredith Marakovits during the interview. “I know we need probably do an image here down the road, but everything’s feeling great. Progressing well, no setbacks, which is nice, and you know, hopefully get back out there soon.”

Judge has made significant progress over the last few weeks. But the one thing he has yet to do is face live pitching.

He also admitted that he wants to get comfortable on the bases. Although he has already resumed base-running, the goal isn’t simply to receive medical clearance to return to the team.

Judge wants his body to be ready to handle all nine innings.

The captain said he wants to “hit the ground running physically.”

When the reporter asked when he could return, he gave the most honest response.

“Hopefully soon,” and followed it up with, “I wish I were back a couple months ago.” 

Aaron Judge suffered a rib injury on a dive during a matchup against the Houston Astros on April 26. He initially continued playing with the discomfort, but after about a month, he was forced to step down. It is possible that it aggravated his condition, and now it’s been taking more than the usual 4-6 weeks to recover.

A stress fracture in his first right rib placed him on a 10-day IL. He played his last game on May 31, and the Yankees expected him to return soon. 

Eventually, the team shifted the 34-year-old to a 60-day IL. The biological structure needs enough time to heal.

The first rib sits tucked under the collarbone and shoulders. It anchors numerous upper-body and core muscles. A Major League baseball swing requires violent, high-speed torso rotation. Every single swing pulls directly on the first rib, preventing a hairline or stress fracture from closing naturally.

As the captain kept playing, continued stress turned a standard 4-6 week baseline rest injury into a deep bone edema and structural healing delay that required nearly three months of total shutdown before baseball activities could resume.

During his initial days on the injured list, Judge was hardly able to do anything more than some lower-body exercises. Although every imaging test came with a little positive news, he was far from starting any baseball activities. 

That was until the doctors cleared him for outdoor running in August.

Judge also started upper-body resistance work.

With less than two months remaining in the regular season, people wondered if he could be back before October, and the captain said:

“Oh, I’ll be back this season. I don’t know why I wouldn’t be. That was always the plan to come back.”

But it’s been a month since then.

He has started swinging the bat, playing catch, and running the bases, but the Yankees have yet to provide a definite timeline for his return.

The biggest concern about his return to the active roster was whether he could do so without a rehab assignment.

Judge was confident that if he told the team he was ready, they would allow him to skip a rehab stint. Recently, he also spoke strongly against a minor league assignment:

“I don’t see the point. Why waste at-bats?”

While insiders like Ken Rosenthal mentioned that Judge could be activated by the next homestand against the Colorado Rockies on Monday, his manager remained cautious. Aaron Boone even noted:

“If and when we get to that point, we’ll work through all that.”

But Rosenthal reiterated that Aaron Judge will skip rehab and the Yankees will have him in the lineup in the upcoming homestand. According to a recent report by SB Nation, 89.56% of fans have no problem with the captain getting on the active roster directly after his recovery. 

While his return is almost finalized, the question remains about his workload, and Boone said that he wants to use Judge as much as he can.

But insiders like Robert Flores have questioned whether putting all the stress on the returning player would be a wise choice. He has also cautioned the team that they might lose their chances at the World Series if Judge goes down again. Even though the team is at the forefront of the AL Wild Card race, Aaron Judge is the primary fear factor for the middle of the lineup. His presence matters when it comes to gaining an edge in the playoffs.

But now, it remains to be seen if the Yankees are ready to gamble.