New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge will take the day off on Thursday with the team facing the Detroit Tigers. Judge will receive a mental break after going 6-for-39 (.154) with 20 strikeouts in his last 10 games since Aug. 20, although five of his hits in that span went for home runs. With Judge starting on the pine, Jake Bauers is playing right field and batting sixth against Tigers right-hander Matt Manning. The 31-year-old Judge had a record-breaking campaign in 2022, and so far he's followed it up in 2023 by hitting .263/.392/.615 with a 1.007 OPS, 29 home runs, 56 RBI, three stolen bases and 60 runs scored in 278 at-bats. He was forced to miss considerable time this summer after tearing a ligament in his right big toe.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge went 3-for-4 with three home runs and six RBI in Wednesday's 9-1 win over the Washington Nationals. As the Yankees sought a jolt in the biggest way after skidding for nine straight losses, the 31-year-old superstar detonated for the first three-HR performance of his career. Judge's first homer was a towering solo shot during the home first to get New York on the board, which was then followed by a majestic second-inning grand slam to break the game open early. He put the final touches on what was already a monster night by coming off the back end of back-to-back long balls with DJ LeMahieu in the seventh frame. Judge is slashing a robust .279/.406/.645 with 27 big flies, 54 RBI, and three stolen bases in 310 plate appearances this year.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that outfielder Aaron Judge (toe) won't need surgery on his big right toe in the offseason. Judge tore a ligament in his big right toe in early June and didn't return to the Yankees lineup until July 28. Since his return, he's gone 13-for-50 (.260) with three home runs, a double, five RBI, 13 strikeouts and eight runs scored in 16 games (15 starts). It's great news for the 31-year-old slugger's 2024 outlook that he won't need to go under the knife in the offseason. On the season as a whole after breaking the American League single-season home run mark in 2022, Judge is batting .284/.416/.627 with a 1.043 OPS, 22 home runs, 45 RBI, three steals and 50 runs scored in 225 at-bats. Judge remains a must-start fantasy asset in all formats.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge took Miami Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo deep on Friday night. Judge homered on August 8th when the Yankees won 7-1 against the White Sox and homered in the win against Miami on Friday. As Judge goes, the Yankees and fantasy lineups go. The large righty has homered every 9.73 at-bats this season, which would be the 22nd-best season of HR/AB. His record-breaking 2022 saw him homer once every 9.19 at-bats. Hopefully, he's healthy enough and the Yankees give him some protection in the lineup so he can try to carry fantasy managers to a championship.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is not in the starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Houston Astros. Judge has been serving as the designated hitter for the most part since returning from a torn ligament in his big right toe, but he'll get a day to rest on Friday. Giancarlo Stanton is the DH and is batting cleanup, while Isiah Kiner-Falefa is in right field and hitting leadoff against Astros right-hander Hunter Brown. Since returning from the right toe injury that he suffered in early June, Judge has gone 5-for-18 (.278) with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in six games. Hopefully, he'll get hotter as he gets further away from the injury, and eventually he should be able to return to a regular role in right field for the Yanks. Make sure to remove him from starting fantasy lineups on Friday.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (toe) is dealing with some soreness in his big right toe, which is why he's serving as the designated hitter on Tuesday for the second day in a row against Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Zach Eflin. The Yankees are hopeful that Judge's soreness will continue to get better, according to manager Aaron Boone. The 31-year-old superstar recently returned from a torn ligament in his toe, but he's gone 3-for-7 with a home run and two RBI in three games since his return and looks to be seeing the ball well after a long layoff. As long as Judge doesn't suffer any sort of setback, he needs to be in starting fantasy lineups on an everyday basis.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (toe) is serving as the designated hitter and batting second in the Yankees lineup on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles and right-handed rookie Grayson Rodriguez in his first game back from the injured list. Judge hasn't played since tearing a ligament in his right big toe in early June, so don't be surprised if the Yankees ease him back in the DH role for at least a few games. Giancarlo Stanton is in right field and is batting cleanup for the Bombers. Judge's return will hopefully spark a Yankees offense that has been mostly dormant since his injury. The 31-year-old could need to shake off some rust at the plate, but fantasy managers in single-year leagues will want to get him back in their starting lineups immediately.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (toe) has been activated from the 10-day injured list on Friday. The right-handed slugger has been out since early June due to a torn ligament in his big right toe. His return is going to be a significant boost to the Yankees lineup that has been sluggish without him. Before going down, Judge was slashing .291/.404/.674 with 19 home runs and 40 RBI in 49 games. He'll provide a much-needed power boost to the Yankees roster as they attempt to make a postseason run.

Barring a late setback, the New York Yankees plan to activate outfielder Aaron Judge (toe) from the injured list on Friday before their game against the Baltimore Orioles. Judge took part in a five-inning simulated game in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday and is expected to increase his volume on Wednesday, according to manager Aaron Boone. It means that Judge won't officially go on a minor-league rehab assignment after spraining his right big toe when he crashed into the right field wall at Dodger Stadium on June 3. The Yankees have gone 18-23 without the reigning American League MVP, so getting Judge back will be huge for the offense. The AL's all-time single-season leader in home runs could be a bit rusty, but fantasy managers are going to want to get him back into their starting lineups ASAP.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (toe) is taking live at-bats in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League on Tuesday, and he appears to be in the "log-at-bats-quickly" phase, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. Judge is getting closer to returning to the Yankees after tearing a ligament in his right big toe in early June. However, there's still no exact timetable for his return, and it remains to be seen if he'll embark on a minor-league rehab assignment before being reinstated from the injured list. The fact that he's taking live at-bats is a very good sign, though, and barring a setback, he could be back before the end of July. Fantasy managers will be thankful to get his elite power back into their everyday lineups.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (toe) took live batting practice prior to Sunday's game against the Kansas City Royals. The good news is that Judge made it through the session without any apparent setbacks. But the bad news is that there is still no timetable for his return. Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters the following, "one of the biggest things is going to be building up that little bit of endurance, doing it for a couple of hours at a time." It's nice to see the slugger swing the bat for the first time in a long time but the Yankees and fantasy managers will both need to remain patient. Judge has been out since early June with a broken toe.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that outfielder Aaron Judge (toe) will face right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga (elbow) in live batting practice on Sunday. After that, Boone said the team could "potentially" have a timetable for Judge's return to the lineup. The 31-year-old All-Star is nearing a return for the Yankees after tearing a ligament in his big right toe back in early June. He's likely to need a few minor-league rehab games before he's reinstated from the injured list, but there's a possibility that he's back with the Yankees by the end of next week. When healthy, Judge has the ability to career a fantasy team with his elite power in pinstripes.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (toe) ran the bases on Wednesday for the first time since suffering a torn ligament in his big right toe in early June. Running the bases full speed without any setbacks is the last hurdle for Judge before the Yankees consider sending him on a minor-league rehab assignment, so this is more good news for fantasy managers. Officially, there remains no firm timetable for the 31-year-old All-Star slugger, but his return is getting much closer. There's a chance he doesn't even go on a rehab assignment. Fantasy managers should have him available soon, and hopefully his toe injury won't have any lingering affects on his power stroke.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone doesn't have a specific return date for outfielder Aaron Judge (toe), but he's said multiple times that "he's getting close." Next Tuesday, June 25, against the New York Mets was mentioned as a possibility, and Boone didn't rule it out. This should make fantasy managers ecstatic, as Judge has been sidelined since June 3 due to a torn ligament in his right big toe. The 31-year-old All-Star slugger has been taking on-field batting practice and doing light running and apparently has been feeling better. Running the bases full speed will likely be the last thing he needs to do before he's cleared to return. Judge will return to a .291/.404/.674 slash line with a 1.078 OPS, 19 homers, 10 doubles, 40 RBI, three steals and 42 runs scored, and he's a must-start in all fantasy lineups when healthy.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (toe) took batting practice on the field on Friday for the first time since tearing a ligament in his right big toe at Dodger Stadium on June 3. He also did light outfield drills, played catch and did some light running in the outfield. Judge said he "didn't feel limited at all" during batting practice, but since his toe isn't healed yet, he has no timetable for a return to the lineup. Manager Aaron Boone said he was "encouraged" by Judge's progress, but there hasn't been any talk yet as to whether he'll need a minor-league rehab assignment. Judge has ruled out having in-season surgery on his toe but hasn't ruled out offseason surgery. For now, fantasy managers remain in a holding pattern with the elite slugger. It might be a stretch to expect him to return in July, but an early August return isn't unrealistic.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (toe) is taking batting practice at Coors Field on Friday prior to the game against the Colorado Rockies to start the second half of the season. Judge has been doing some light throwing recently and he also did some soft toss and hit off a tee on the Fourth of July, but this is the first time he's taken on-field batting practice as he recovers from a torn ligament in his big right toe. There remains no timetable for his return from the injured list, though, with the Yankees only saying recently that they expect the 31-year-old superstar to return in the second half. Taking batting practice is a nice step for Judge, but he might still have a ways to go before fantasy managers are able to put him back into their starting lineups.

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that there is no timetable for outfielder Aaron Judge's (toe) return and that he has more steps to take, such as running the bases and minor-league rehab games. Cashman said that Judge will be back at some point in the second half. Fantasy managers were hoping that Judge would be back shortly after the start of the second half of the season this weekend, but it looks like that's not happening. The 31-year-old superstar did some light hitting on the Fourth of July, but he still has a ways to go before he's ready to be activated from the injured list. All fantasy managers can do is hope for a quick recovery and that Judge isn't affected negatively in any way by the torn ligament in his big right toe when he does make it back.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (toe) said he has started doing some light hitting in addition to playing catch. He said he has felt better lately, but he's still undecided on going to Seattle for this year's All-Star festivities next week. Judge started playing catch before games last week, and now he's graduated to light hitting, which is another sign he's progressing from a torn ligament in his right big toe. The 31-year-old All-Star slugger is still far from a return to the Yankees lineup, and surgery after the 2023 season remains a possibility. It would probably be a surprise if he's able to return before the end of July at this rate, so fantasy managers are going to have to remain patient. The Yankees have used Jake Bauers, Giancarlo Stanton, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Billy McKinney in right field in the last week.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (toe) did some throwing in the outfield on Friday before the team's game against the St. Cardinals for the third straight day. Judge hasn't done anything but throw this week, but it represents some progress after he announced last weekend that he's dealing with a torn ligament in his right big toe. There remains no timetable for his return to the lineup, though, so fantasy managers are going to have to stay patient. The 31-year-old All-Star slugger isn't going to be back in the big leagues before the All-Star break in mid-July, but he could return early in the second half of the season. Hopefully, Judge will start doing other baseball activities besides just throwing next week. Jake Bauers has seen most of the action in right field with Judge on the injured list.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (toe) played catch in Oakland on Wednesday for the first time since tearing a ligament in his right big toe on June 3. Judge didn't do any running or anything like that, but it's a small step in the right direction for the All-Star slugger. There remains no timetable for Judge's return, and fantasy managers are just crossing their fingers that he'll be able to return at some point in July after the All-Star break. With Judge out, the Yankees have mostly been using Jake Bauers as the starter in right field. Judge obviously needs to be stashed in all fantasy leagues after breaking an American League record with 62 home runs in 2022. He's currently hitting a strong .291 (51-for-175) with 10 doubles, 19 homers and 40 RBI in 49 games.