New York Yankees OF Aaron Judge Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees GM shoots down Aaron Judge return rumor

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 7/13/23

Is Aaron Judge close to a return to the New York Yankees? There had been some hope, but that does not appear to be the case.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman responded on Thursday to a rumor that the team was poised to activate Judge from the injured list for the start of the second half of the season. Cashman said that Judge is not close to a return, has not even started running the bases and will need rehab games before a full return can be considered.

Brian Cashman, responding to the rumor that Judge will activated "right after" the break, says there's no timetable for that and that he has more steps to take – running the bases, rehab games, etc. Judge will be back at some point in the second half, he said.

— Laura Albanese (@AlbaneseLaura) July 13, 2023

There was not much reason to think Judge had a huge jump in his timetable. The outfielder has a ligament tear in his toe and the closest we have to definitive word is Judge and Cashman both saying the home run champion will be back at some point this season. When that point may be, however, is still anyone’s guess right now.

Judge suffered the injury in early June and the Yankee offense has stagnated since then. That helped play a role in the team’s decision to fire their hitting coach just before the All-Star break.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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