Aaron Judges next step in injury recovery goes well in positive Yankees sign

BALTIMORE — Although the Yankees were due to play a key game at Camden Yards on Thursday night, the most important swings of the day may have come in The Bronx, where Aaron Judge started hitting off a tee.Aaron Boone noted the advancement in Judge’s recovery from the fractured rib that’s kept him out since the beginning of June.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.

“It went well,’’ the manager said.“It will be good to see him [Friday] when we get home.”Initially restricted to limited activity, Judge had moved on to playing catch and, more recently, swinging in a pool.But if there’s any real chance of Judge getting healthy and performing up to his normal standards before the end of the season, the Yankees will have to keep an eye on the calendar.He’s already been sidelined for nearly three months and will need time to get back into playing shape when he’s completely healthy.Another injured outfielder, Cody Bellinger, was scheduled to play his first minor league rehab game Thursday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after being out with a hamstring strain since suffering the injury July 25.Bellinger likely will need more than one rehab game before his return, but the Yankees haven’t ruled out a potential return this weekend at the Stadium against Toronto.Without Bellinger, the Yankees have been forced to play Spencer Jones and Heliot Ramos more than they would like.Another star on the injured list is Giancarlo Stanton, and Boone said he has continued his running program as he works to get back from the calf injuries that have kept him from playing since April....