Aaron Judge getting introduced to next step in Yankees injury recovery

BALTIMORE — Aaron Judge is set to take the next step in his comeback from a fractured rib that’s already kept him out for nearly three months.Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Judge will be “introduced to his hitting progression this week.” Judge, according to the manager, has been doing “swing-related stuff” in the pool in recent days.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.

“He’s progressing,” Boone said.“It’s all part of the process.

Hopefully it goes well.The fact that he’s responded in this first week of added intensity — as far as being allowed to do some things upper-body-wise — playing catch, running — it’s all part of his buildup.”Judge had been limited to lower-body and light resistance training before playing catch last week for the first time since hitting the IL.Boone wasn’t sure exactly when Judge would start swinging, but it’s a sign that he at least hasn’t suffered any setbacks.There remains no public timeline for his return.Cody Bellinger’s return from a strained left hamstring to an offense that has collapsed without him and Judge — as well as Giancarlo Stanton — is more imminent.The outfielder was at Camden Yards on Tuesday and said he will play a minor league rehab game with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.He anticipated needing more than just the one game before a return to the Yankee lineup, but didn’t rule out getting back to the majors.“We’ll assess how I feel,” Bellinger said.

“The last few days I’ve gone about as close to 100 percent as I could give in a non-game setting.… We’ll see how it goes.”He’s well aware of the lineup’s struggles without the big bats.“I’ve wanted to get back for a while,” Bellinger said.

“But you always want to be realistic.You want to come back and stay.”As for Stanton, out since April with multiple calf strains, Boone said he w...