TORONTO _ Aaron Judge has returned to hitting on the field, another step in his comeback from an oblique injury.
And while the Yankees slugger could return to the lineup by the June 29-30 London series against the Boston Red Sox, Judge hasn't exactly circled that date on his calendar.
At the Yankees' Tampa, Fla., complex on Thursday, Judge said he's taking a day-to-day approach.
"The minute I start thinking about when I'm going to come back...then my hopes might either go up or down if I get pushed back or something like that," Judge told the Associated Press. "So, I'm just focused on getting better every day."
A day earlier, Yankees manager Aaron Boone conceded it's possible that Judge might return for MLB's first games in Europe, though the club isn't targeting any specific return dates.
Judge has been on the injured list since April 21, and he's been pain free for a couple of weeks.
"Now it's just going through the protocols so I can finally get out there," Judge said at Tampa. The first-place Yankees "haven't been needing me the past couple weeks, so I'm going to take my time and make sure I get healthy and get ready so I can help them down the road.
"It's good to finally get outside and get some fresh air when I'm hitting now."
Also at Tampa, slugger Giancarlo Stanton is "getting closer" to heading back out on a minor league rehab assignment.
"The reports (from Wednesday) were that he was feeling really good with regards to everything," Boone said of Stanton's running and live at-bats during extended spring training.
Now dealing with the effects of a strained left calf, Stanton will intensify his "arc" running before being cleared for a rehab assignment.
Stanton has been on the IL since April 1, initially with a left biceps tear. He later developed a left shoulder, then suffered the calf injury from being hit by a pitch in live BP.
