So, Yeah, Definitely Keep Progressing

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was cleared for light activity on Wednesday after undergoing scans, marking his first step toward a return from a rib stress fracture that has sidelined him since May 31. Speaking at Yankee Stadium before the game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Judge said, "I'll be back this season, adding, "I don't know why I wouldn't be. That was always the plan to come back -- sooner than later, definitely -- but I never had a thought of not playing this year. Judge stretched, jogged, and did shuffle slides with a resistance band, but he noted hitting will be the ultimate test: That's the most violent of it all, more than running or lifting and stuff like that.

So, yeah, definitely keep progressing. Everything's feeling great, take another scan, see where it's at. Hopefully adding hitting, throwing, all that down the road.

He declined to give a target return date, and another scan is needed before he can swing a bat or field. If he responds well, he could advance to the next step within a week. The Yankees' offense has struggled without him, ranking 27th in OPS (.671) and 26th in runs scored (216) since June 1.