Judge (abdomen) will hit in a batting cage and go through his normal workout routine in the weight room Friday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge had been slated for on-field batting practice but will hit out of public view instead. The slugger did not rule out playing in Saturday's Grapefruit League game for the Yankees. Judge hasn't played in a spring game since Sunday but remains optimistic that he will be ready to roll come Opening Day.

Judge (abdomen) isn't listed on the schedule to take on-field batting practice Friday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 31-year-old is tentatively slated to return to the Grapefruit League lineup Saturday, but manager Aaron Boone had indicated he would need to hit Friday in order to be cleared to play. Judge could still swing a bat Friday in another setting, but any reps apparently won't be coming during batting practice.

Judge (abdomen) said Thursday that he would "definitely" be in the lineup if it were the regular season, Max Goodman of the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge hasn't played in a few days while dealing with an abdominal/core injury, but tests came back clean and the slugger seems unconcerned, reiterating that his goal is to be ready for Opening Day. He is slated to do some hitting Friday, and if that goes well Judge will return to Grapefruit League play Saturday.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Judge (abdomen/oblique) is slated to do some hitting Friday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

EDGE Analysis

Boone previously said that Judge was penciled into the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, but the 2022 American League MVP will first need to get through some hitting Friday before being cleared to start. Judge is dealing with what the team has referred to as an abdominal injury, although Pat Ragazzo of SI.com hears it's actually an oblique issue. The expectation is that Judge will be ready for Opening Day, but he can't afford any hiccups at this stage of spring training.

Judge is dealing with pain in his oblique and still has problems with his right big toe, Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge missed nearly two months of last season due to a torn ligament in his toe, and his oblique injury comes in addition to the abdomen soreness Judge reported Monday. It's unclear if Judge's new issues will prevent him from returning to Grapefruit League play Saturday as expected, but the Yankees still expect Judge to be ready for Opening Day.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he has Judge (abdomen) "penciled in" to the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge's availability for the start of the season was cast into some level of doubt when he was sent in for an MRI earlier this week, but the imaging revealed no serious injury to his abdominal area. The star outfielder was still advised to take a few days off before swinging the bat again, but assuming he checks out fine in his workouts Thursday and/or Friday, he looks like he'll draw back into the starting nine over the weekend. Fantasy managers who have yet to draft will still want to keep tabs on Judge's status in the coming days to feel more confident about investing in him late in the first round or early in the second round of drafts.

Judge will not swing a bat until later this week after undergoing an MRI on his abdomen Monday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The good news is the MRI came back negative, but Judge will exercise caution in staying out of the batting cage for a few days, saying "there's no real need to push it." Judge doesn't appear too concerned about the injury and still anticipates being ready for Opening Day. Still, his latest injury brings a cloud of uncertainty in the middle of fantasy draft season.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Judge is "mid-spring beat up" and is not expected to return to Grapefruit League play until Wednesday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The skipper didn't elaborate any further as to what Judge is dealing with, but the fact that he expects him to be back in a couple days is a good sign. Judge -- who is expected to mostly play center field this season for the Yankees -- is 2-for-14 with a double in six games so far this spring.

Judge worked out at first base over the offseason and hasn't ruled out playing there this season if he's needed, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge has worked out at first base before and played the position during his freshman season at Fresno State, so it's not totally foreign to him. That said, it seems like it would only happen in an emergency situation. For fantasy purposes, Judge picking up first base eligibility would appear highly unlikely.

Judge said Tuesday that his right big toe injury will likely require "constant maintenance" for the remainder of his career, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge suffered a torn ligament in the toe when he collided with the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium last June, an injury which wound up costing him about two months of action. The issue healed without surgery and Judge noted Tuesday that his toe feels good, but it sounds like it will take constant work to keep it that way. Judge is expected to see the majority of his playing time in center field this season, at least until Jasson Dominguez (elbow) returns.