Aaron Judge Takes Indoor BP Again as Yankees Eye His Return

Aaron Judge took batting practice in indoor cages again, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com — a continued progression in his return from injury, even if game action remains somewhere down the road.

The Yankees' beat reporter noted that Judge "looks good," which is the kind of quote that lands somewhere between encouraging and deliberately noncommittal. He has not been cleared for game action, and no timetable has been attached to his return.

What we know

This latest indoor BP session follows a prior milestone in which Judge faced overhand pitching indoors for the first time during his recovery. The direction of travel is clearly forward; the pace remains unspecified.

Schmidt also moving

Bryan Hoch's report also notes that Clarke Schmidt is nearing a rehab assignment, with the goal of returning to the Yankees bullpen. Schmidt was seen throwing live BP at Yankee Stadium recently, and the rehab assignment would represent the next formal step in that process.

What remains unconfirmed

No return dates have been attached to either player. For Judge, the gap between indoor BP and game-ready is real and unquantified. For Schmidt, the rehab assignment itself has not yet been announced.

The Yankees have been actively reshaping their bullpen in the interim — signing Justin Topa to a major league deal and adding him to the active roster — so Schmidt's eventual return would arrive into a unit that has already been adjusted around his absence.