Aaron Judge shares interesting update on his injury recovery

Jul 15, 2019; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) goes to the dugout between innings against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Judge on Friday shared an interesting update to the media regarding his recovery from a toe injury.

Judge has been out since tearing a ligament in his right big toe while making a catch at the wall against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 3. He is working his way towards a return to the New York Yankees’ lineup but cautioned his fans.

Judge said Friday that he will not be pain-free when he returns. Instead, he will just try to manage the situation.

“It’s not going to be pain-free, but we’ll just get as close to manageable as we can,” Judge said, via Yankees reporter Bryan Hoch.

Aaron Judge on his return: "It's not going to be pain-free, but we'll just get as close to manageable as we can."

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) July 21, 2023

That’s not exactly what Yankees fans want to hear.

Sure, getting Judge back is a good thing, but having him healthy vs. playing through pain are two different things.

Judge was able to run the bases on Wednesday, which was a big step towards a return. He is set to face live pitching on Sunday. How Judge does after facing live pitching could help establish a timetable for a potential return.

The reigning AL MVP was batting .291 with 19 home runs and a 1.078 OPS over 49 games this season.