Aaron Judge Takes First Step In Injury Recovery

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge has been on the Injured List with a toe injury since early June.

But Judge shared some seemingly hopeful news recently about how his recovery is going.

Before Tuesday night's game against the Oakland Athletics, which resulted in a perfect game from Domingo German, Judge played catch in the outfield.

READ: HISTORY: YANKEES’ DOMINGO GERMÁN THROWS MLB’S 24TH PERFECT GAME

He was quick to downplay it, but admitted that it's "another step" on the way back to the field.

“It’s just another step,” Judge said. “I wouldn’t say it’s significant or not significant. There’s a lot of steps we gotta take to get back to going on the field, so this is just another step along the way.”

When the severity of the toe injury was finally revealed, the team acknowledged their was no timeframe for his return.

READ: AARON JUDGE HAS TORN LIGAMENT IN TOE, RETURN STILL UNKNOWN

So any on field activity, however small, has to be an encouraging sign for Yankees fans.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 03: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees crashes through the outfield fence as he makes a catch for an out of J.D. Martinez #28 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on June 03, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Judge Likely Still A Ways Away

Manager Aaron Boone addressed the seeming progress, saying it'll feel more real once he starts hitting again.

“Really being able to torque and turn on that back foot,” Boone explained. “When he gets to that point where he starts being able to let it go hitting-wise, that’ll be a good indicator that now it’s just about getting him built up and ready to go.”

There's no immediate plan for next steps in the recovery, but Boone admitted it was a bit more exciting to see him back out on the field.

“He’s put some things in my head, but we’ll see as we go through the days here,” Boone said.

The Yankees have gone just 8-10 since Judge went on the IL, falling further out of the race in the American League East.

They still remain in playoff position, but Judge's return is key to higher, World Series-level expectations.

Initially, it seemed questionable whether he'd be able to play at all over the rest of the season. But after seeing some baseball action, that seems a greater possibility than before.