MINNEAPOLIS _ It was the most significant step forward yet for Aaron Judge.
The right fielder, on the disabled list since July 27 with a chip fracture in his right wrist, took batting practice on the field Monday afternoon at Target Field, a first during his rehab.
"Feeling good, getting closer every day," Judge said Sunday in Seattle. "I'll hit on the field in Minnesota, so you just have to keep it rolling."
Judge went through five rounds of BP Monday, showing no signs of discomfort. In his second round he nearly put one in the third deck in left-center, an area here that sees few baseballs, in BP or otherwise.
Judge started hitting off a tee last Monday in Oakland before the Yankees started a three-game series against the A's, and the Yankees gradually added more workload as the week progressed.
"Just progressing, that's been the most exciting part, no setbacks, no nothing like that," Judge said.
Asked if the pain was completely gone, Judge said: "Pain's not gone, it's still broken."
But without question, the 26-year-old can see the light at the end of a tunnel that until very recently seemed endlessly dark.
"I'm confident with how it's feeling right now," Judge said Sunday. "I was confident from when it first happened, I knew I was going to be back in plenty of time and be back in some meaningful games here down the stretch. I'm getting one step closer every day to that. I'm just looking forward to that."
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