By MARC MALKOSKIE
Press Enterprise Writer
MOOSIC — Court was in session at PNC Field for the first time since 2016, as New York Yankees’ star Aaron Judge continued his rehab stint with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Tuesday night.
After injuring his left oblique against Kansas City on April 20, the most popular Yankees player is believed to be just a few days away from returning to the big leagues.
“The biggest thing was just taking a full swing comfortably and not having any setbacks,” Judge said prior to Tuesday night’s game against the Norfolk Tides. “I’m just getting ready to roll. I just want to get nine innings of right field here the next two days and go back to New York.”
Judge is excited to be back in Northeastern Pennsylvania. He played 78 of his 154 minor league games with the RailRiders between 2015 and ‘16 at PNC Field.
“I’m excited to be back here in Scranton and get a chance to play in front of these fans again and be a part of this winning club we got here,” Judge said. “I just remember when I was playing here in Scranton, the fans were always the best. They travel well and they’re everywhere. I always love their support, so I can’t wait to see how many fans come out to PNC these next few days.”
Judge returned to Scranton after playing three against the Durham Bulls on the road last weekend.
In that series, Judge went 1-for-12 with and RBI and six strikeouts. But his main focus at the plate right now is being able to recognize pitches at the professional level following a two-month layoff.
“Without seeing professional pitching for two months, it’s just like spring training,” the 6-foot-7 right fielder said. “In spring training, nobody is hitting 1.000. I’m not really worried about my results right now. If I go 0-for-4 the next two days, it doesn’t matter. As long as I’m feeling comfortable in the box and recognizing pitches, I should be good. I feel 100 percent and ready to go. I wouldn’t be in games if I wasn’t 100 percent. Now it’s just about getting the reps in.”
‘The same guy’
Considering how important Judge’s contributions are on the field and at the plate, he’s just as valuable of an asset in the clubhouse.
He’s been an open book for any of his Scranton/Wilkes-Barre teammates who have approached him with questions, and humbly said he’s still the same person he was when he was a member of the RailRiders a few years ago.
“I’m talking with everybody,” Judge said. “Everybody has questions and I love talking baseball with any of these guys. This is a major league team right here. Even the guys that haven’t been called up yet are major league ready, and it’s showing with the guys we’ve brought up and were able to contribute to our team while we’ve been hurt. This is a fun group of guys to be around.”
“Nothing has really changed,” he said when asked to compare his current stint to the days where Scranton was more of a long-term home to him. “I’m still the same guy when I was in Scranton (in 2016). I’m glad to be back. It feels like home to me.”
It sounds like Judge could return to the Yankees’ lineup as early as Friday.
“He’s doing great,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Judge in a press conference Monday. “We prefer to have him back already, but with the nature of the injury and just how we’ve had to bring him back, it’s important that he gets a couple more games (in Scranton) where he’s bouncing back and running the bases. He feels ready, so I’m excited to see him here (in New York) in a few days.”
Marc Malkoskie covers sports for the Press Enterprise. He may be reached at 570-387-1234, ext. 1314, or by email at sports@pressenterprise.net. Follow him on Twitter at @mmalkoskie.
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