Yankees star Aaron Judge cleared for light activity and says he will return from injury this season

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New York Yankees' Aaron Judge looks on in the ninth inning during the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge watches from the dugout during a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays Monday, July 6, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken) — New York Yankees' Aaron Judge looks on in the ninth inning during the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

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6:16 PM on Wednesday, August 5

By MIKE FITZPATRICK

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge has been cleared to begin light workout activity, and the New York Yankees captain said he will return this season from the rib injury that's sidelined him since May 31.

The three-time AL MVP was on the field at Yankee Stadium in baseball gear Wednesday afternoon, stretching, jogging and doing shuffle slides with a resistance band. He was given the green light to take a step forward in his recovery progression after undergoing his latest scan Tuesday.

Still, it will be a while before Judge is back in the lineup. He must first advance to taking swings, and neither he nor Yankees manager Aaron Boone offered a target date for the slugger's return.

Judge is on the 60-day injured list with a stress fracture of his right rib. He is hitting .248 with 17 homers and 38 RBIs but had just one homer in his last 18 games before going on the IL.

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