Aaron Boone says Aaron Judge is feeling better, but still no timeframe for a return to Yankees

Another day and still no official timeframe given for when Aaron Judge might return from the right big toe sprain that landed him on the injured list this past week.

“[Feeling] better but no real updates,” Aaron Boone said Saturday afternoon before the Yankees played the Red Sox at the Stadium in the second game of a three-game series. “He is doing a little bit better.”

Judge, placed on the injured list on Wednesday, received a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection in the toe on Tuesday.

The Yankees have not publicly given a timeline for how long they’ll be without the reigning American League MVP. Nor has Judge.

"There's no timetable, really, which I think is best,” Judge said on Thursday as he made his first comments since landing on the IL. “Because there's a couple things going on in there. So I think they don't want to say a timetable and then it's a couple of weeks longer or a couple of weeks less. I think it's more based on how it's feeling."

Not surprisingly, Boone said he checks in with Judge daily.

“I think I kind of, in some way, talk to him about it every day,” Boone said. “Talked with [trainer Mike Schuk] at length today about where we’re at, things they’re liking about it.”

And what are they liking about it?  

“Just kind of where he’s feeling things, the improvements they’re seeing swelling-wise,” Boone said.

Judge suffered the injury during the eighth inning of the June 3 victory over the Dodgers when, while making a catch on a long drive by J.D. Martinez, he crashed through the bullpen door in rightfield, with his right foot connecting hard with the cement base of the fence.

Bader close

Boone said a decision should be coming soon on whether Harrison Bader, on the IL since May 30 with a right hamstring strain, will require a rehab assignment or not.

“We’re probably getting close to that point,” Boone said Saturday.

Friday was the first day, Boone said, that Bader was able to really push himself in the rehab process, specifically when it came to moving around in the field.

Because Bader isn’t expected to miss much more time, the Yankees could simply have the centerfielder go through several more days of increased baseball activities, then activate him in time for next weekend’s three-game series in Boston. Or they could send him out on a rehab assignment for a couple of games in the minors.

“Hopefully we’re in that position sometime [in the upcoming week to make that decision],” Boone said.

Going deep

The Yankees entered Saturday night having hit 100 homers, the second-most in the American League and fourth-most in the majors. Their 66 home runs since the beginning of May are the most in the big leagues in that span. The Yankees have had an MLB-leading 18 different players homer this season, matching their 2022 total. Going into Saturday, the Yankees had homered in each of their last seven games, hitting 13 in that stretch, and in 11 of their last 12 games, producing 22 homers in that span.