Aaron Judge continues to work toward his return to the outfield.
Judge was set to throw again on Friday, two days after the Yankees captain played catch for the first time since he was diagnosed with a flexor strain in his right elbow.
“The plan is for him to repeat what he did Wednesday,” manager Aaron Boone said before Friday’s series opener against the Houston Astros in the Bronx. “He got out to 90 feet — I think [he] was throwing on a line — so I think the plan is to repeat that today and see how it [goes].”
Judge, 33, was not seen throwing pregame Friday, but he did shag fly balls in right field.
The reigning American League MVP has not played the outfield since July 25, three days after he suffered the injury on a throw in Toronto.
After a 10-day stint on the injured list, Judge returned to the Yankees’ lineup on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers in Arlington but is playing only as the designated hitter for the time being.
Judge was the Yankees’ DH on Friday for the third game in a row.
“I haven’t really talked to him about how [he feels] from day to day,” Luis Rojas, the Yankees’ third base and outfield coach, said Friday. “There’s a throwing program. I’m sure that him and the trainers, at the end of the line, know he’s going to be back and playing defense for us.”
Judge played catch before Wednesday’s game in Texas, marking his first time doing so since the injury.
“Felt good to get out there. We’ll see what I can do tomorrow,” Judge said at the time, according to Newsday. “You’ve got a flexor strain. Like a hammy, the first time you run on a hammy it’s going to be sore. But I didn’t feel like I did when I hurt it.”
Judge entered Friday with MLB’s best batting average (.339), on-base percentage (.446), slugging percentage (.702) and OPS (1.148). He went 1-for-6 with a walk in his first two games after returning from the IL.
With Judge locked in at DH, Giancarlo Stanton is expected to play right field on Saturday, according to manager Aaron Boone.
Stanton, 35, last played the outfield on Sept. 14, 2023 in Boston. He last played the outfield at Yankee Stadium five days before that.
PITCHING PROGRESS
Left-handed swingman Ryan Yarbrough and right-handed reliever Fernando Cruz, both of whom are dealing with oblique strains, are scheduled to face hitters on Sunday.
Cruz is set to throw a live bullpen session at Double-A Somerset.
Yarbrough, who threw a live session on Thursday, could begin a rehab assignment with Somerset that day, according to Boone, but is more likely to throw another live session.
Cruz has a 3.00 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 33 innings. Yarbrough has a 3.90 ERA over 16 appearances, including eight starts.
Boone said he hoped reliever Jonathan Loáisiga, who is on the IL with right mid back tightness, would be able to throw Friday.
COLE TRAIN
Gerrit Cole could be getting close to throwing for the first time since undergoing season-ending elbow surgery in March.
“I think it’s soon,” Boone said, “but I don’t have an announcement.”
Cole said Friday that he remains scheduled to begin throwing this month, and while he has a tentative date in mind, he declined to share it publicly.
TOUGH SLATE
The Yankees expect outfielder Austin Slater to miss four-to-six weeks with the left hamstring strain he suffered Monday in Texas.
Boone described the injury as a “mid-level strain.”
The Yankees acquired the righty-swinging Slater before last week’s trade deadline. He is hitless in seven at-bats with the Yankees.
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