Yankees claim there’s no set plan for Aaron Judge following report of Friday return – The Denver Post

With Aaron Judge in Tampa for simulated games, barring a setback, the reported plan is for the slugger to return on Friday in Baltimore.

The story was published by The Post in the middle of Aaron Boone’s pregame press conference on Wednesday, which prompted a question directly asking if there is a plan in place to activate Judge on Friday.

“No,” Boone said of the report before the conclusion of the Subway Series. “I wouldn’t rule anything out, but I think we’re kind of taking it day by day and huddling up at the end of the day and seeing what the next steps are. But right now, it’s seeing how we came out of today and how that went and where we’re at and if we need to keep doing more.”

Boone has repeatedly said that the Yankees are not ruling anything out — or similar phrases — when asked about various target dates for Judge’s return throughout his rehab process.

When showed the Post’s story, a Yankees spokesperson told reporters that a Friday return was news to him. A source separately told The Daily News that no decision has been made on activating Judge on Friday, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.

Newsday’s Erik Boland also reported that Judge was seen clearing out his locker and loading items into his car at the Yankees’ minor league complex after his simulated game Wednesday. Boone said after Wednesday’s win over the Mets that the captain has flown back to New York and still does not know if he’ll be active against Baltimore.

The Yankees often keep injury updates and information close to the vest, and the team has avoided ruling out multiple timelines — even unlikely ones — for Judge’s return. Judge has been out since June 3, which is when he hurt his toe while making a spectacular catch at Dodger Stadium.

The Yankees’ offense, meanwhile, has crashed without the reigning MVP.

Boone did say that Judge hit a home run during a sim game on Tuesday. He also ran the bases and played the field, though he didn’t see any action on defense.

The manager did not have a report on Judge’s Wednesday sim game when he spoke to reporters, but Boone planned on talking to the slugger later in the day.

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