Associated Press Jul 4, 2023 1:38 pm ET2 minute counter
A month after recovering from a torn ligament in his right toe, Aaron Judge has started hitting from the tee but said on Tuesday he still couldn’t walk.
“I have to be able to run,” Judge said before the New York Yankees continued a four-game streak with the Baltimore Orioles. “If I can walk, I can play. If I run at 10% it’s not going to help anyone out there.”
The judge said the ability to put weight on his back foot was the biggest factor in how quickly he could recover from an injury unusual for a baseball player.
“Besides running, it’s important to me to hit 270 pounds on one leg,” Judge said. “Once we build that strength and get over the pain and all that, we’re going to be in a good place. I understand you’re going to be okay with some pain coming back, so it’s just a matter of reaching for it.” A point where it’s bearable and we’re not retreating here.
On Monday it was a month since Judge was injured when he crashed into the right field wall at Dodger Stadium while catching a drive from JD Martinez. Judge had hoped to start baseball soon after his second platelet-rich plasma injection on June 20, but it wasn’t until recently that he started playing tag and making easy swings.
“If it’s right and he can walk, he will be able to walk,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I’m confident he’ll do it at the level we’re used to. So I feel like he’s making really good progress in that regard, but time wise it’s going to take as long as it takes to get where he can go out and be Aaron Judge.”
Judge was chosen as a starter for the All-Star Game in fan voting, but said he wasn’t sure if he’d be traveling to Seattle next week.
“We’re about to come back and maybe it’s best not to go. Maybe we’ll focus on some rehab stuff when we’re not close,” Judge said. “It’s probably best to stay here and do some work, so I don’t know.”
“Just get some more people to talk to about it, talk to the coaches and doctors and see where we’re at.”
Judge set an American League record for 62 homers last year. He is batting .291 with 19 home runs and 40 RBIs in the first season of a nine-year, $360 million contract he signed during the offseason.
The Yankees are 12-13 on the injured list since losing Judge to a second callout. New York is 30-19 with the 2022 AL MVP also missing 10 games earlier this season after tearing his right hip on his 31st birthday on April 26 in Minnesota while trying to stealing third base.