Yankees’ Aaron Judge ‘getting worked on’, close to return per Aaron Boone

The New York Yankees are preparing for an intrasquad game on Monday evening, featuring Jordan Montgomery as one of the starting pitchers.

However, the big news has revolved around Aaron Judge and a stiff neck that has kept him out the past few days. He has received treatment and reportedly seen positive improvements, according to manager Aaron Boone.

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The Yankees manager commented on whether he would perform in today’s intrasquad matchup:

“He is getting worked on right now, I’d say there is a chance, but we haven’t made that call yet.”

“Yes, when he came in today, there is improvement. Again, he’s getting worked on right now, so will have a good feel for whether he is in or out of the intrasquad here in a little bit.”

The former 2017 AL Rookie of Year winner has dealt with numerous injuries the past few seasons, recently overcoming a stress fracture in a rib suffered last September. The latest issue seems to be nothing more than a stiff neck from sleeping on the wrong side of the bed. He should be ready to go by today or within the next few days.

Fortunately, he was spotted at batting practice before the game on Monday, which is scheduled for 5:15 PM.

Judge is looking for a bounce-back campaign after playing in just 102 contests last season. His .272 batting average last year was the worst over his first three years in the MLB. It was the first season he didn’t earn any accolades, whether it be an All-Star consideration or MVP voting.

Aside from Judge, Masahiro Tanaka is making gradual progress as well. After taking a 112 mph baseball off the head from a Giancarlo Stanton line-drive, Tanaka has been careful with his return.

He’s been participating in light activities to ensure concussion symptoms have alleviated, but the expectation is that he should be back on the mound within the next few days. I imagine he will miss the first few games of the regular season, which starts in nine days, but the Yankees have plenty of talent to supplement his loss in the short term.