The long-awaited return is beginning to look a little more realistic for Aaron Judge. The New York Yankees captain couldn’t even lift weights a month ago. The second rib injury of his career has kept him out of action for almost three months. But he recently started outdoor running and weight training, and now he has taken another meaningful step toward returning to game action in 2026. Even Aaron Boone didn’t mince words when reporters asked him if a short rehab assignment would be possible for Judge.

“Oh, we’ll see. You know, he’s hit now a few days off the tee, and I think he didn’t hit yesterday. But I think he’ll probably hit again today,” the manager reassured on Sunday during an interview with SNY Yankees. 

“But he’s running, doing strength stuff, responding well. So the biggest thing for him now is kind of building up the body to get back in playing shape, where he wasn’t allowed to do much for that first month, especially. So it’s more getting the body up to speed as much as anything.”

Boone’s optimism reflects the same mindset Judge showed earlier this month. After imaging showed good recovery, the doctors cleared him for outdoor running, and he started immediately. The confidence was apparent in his voice when he 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.”

Judge suffered an injury while making a diving catch during a matchup against the Houston Astros on April 26. He managed to carry on for over a month despite the discomfort in his ribs, but eventually he was placed on the injured list due to a stress fracture in his right first rib. The recovery took longer than expected, and the Yankees shifted him from a 10-day IL to a 60-day IL on July 18. 

The 34-year-old showed signs of recovery with each test and scan, but it was still not enough for him to start baseball exercises. Now, the right fielder has started hitting, signaling another big step towards getting back on the field, as per his manager. 

But reclaiming his spot on the roster isn’t the only challenge for Judge. Before the injury sidelined him, the captain was batting at .248 with a .907 OPS. The biggest concern is whether he can get back to the same form he was in back then, and that’s exactly what MLB insider Jayson Stark pointed out recently. 

“If you’re Aaron Judge and you do what you do for a living, which is hit baseballs a really long way, is there any more worrisome injury than a broken rib? And don’t you have to be extremely careful, patient about rehabbing an injury like that?”

He said that the Yankees are pushing him for a return, but warned that they might not “know exactly what life is like on the other side.”

However, Aaron Judge remains unfazed by such claims and confident despite there being little guarantee of a return.