Judge said he is game ready and feeling good after starting in right field and betting second in Monday's intrasquad game, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge added that the biggest thing leading up to Opening Day is getting the reps in and getting his timing down. He grounded out to third and struck out swinging in his two at-bats Monday. After being diagnosed in early March with a stress fracture in his first right rib, the 28-year-old slugger looks to be near full strength as the Yankees' July 23 opener against Max Scherzer and the Nationals draws closer.

Judge (ribs) is starting in right field and hitting second in Monday's intrasquad game.

EDGE Analysis

He faced live pitching and swung without pain last week and is apparently ready for full game action, albeit in a controlled environment. The intrasquad game will be broadcast on YES Network, so there should be plenty of follow-up video and reports later this evening.

Judge (rib) is swinging without pain, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

EDGE Analysis

Though the report on Judge's health comes from a less-than-expert source -- teammate Gerrit Cole -- it nonetheless inspires more optimism that the slugger is over the hump in his recovery from a right rib fracture and will be ready to take the field on Opening Day. Cole's observation does come from firsthand experience; the Yankees' ace pitched to Judge in a simulated game Thursday.

Judge (rib) took live batting practice Thursday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

This encouraging step in Judge's rehab comes shortly after it was reported that the Yankees are "very optimistic" about the slugger's status for the start of the season. The outfielder still has some hurdles to clear before any final determination is made regarding his Opening Day availability, but things are trending in the right direction.

Judge has hit off a machine and will face live pitching early in summer camp, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

These details help explain why the Yankees are reportedly "very optimistic" that Judge will be ready to play by Opening Day. News on Judge's progress from a right rib fracture has been sparse during the shutdown of play, with reports surfacing only recently that the slugger had begun hitting off a tee. Given the nature of Judge's injury, it seems likely that he'll be able to play at the start of the season if he is, in fact, able to face live pitching within the next week or two.

General manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday that the team is "very optimistic right now" that Judge can be ready for Opening Day, Randy Miller of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge's status has been a big question mark since it was revealed back in March that he had a stress fracture in his right rib. It just recently came to light that Judge also had a partially collapsed lung, per James Wagner of The New York Times. As of last week, Judge was still just hitting baseballs off a tee, so he has many hurdles yet to clear before any final determination is made as to his Opening Day availability.

Judge (rib) has been hitting baseballs off a tee, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

EDGE Analysis

Though Judge has yet to take part in full batting practice, his advancement to hitting off a tee is the first tangible sign of progress for the slugger since he was shut down from swinging in late February. The Yankees have privately remained optimistic that Judge will be able to take the field when the season begins in late July, and a report that he "didn't seem to be holding anything back" while swinging in the cage lends credence to this view. A better understanding of where Judge stands in his healing from a right rib fracture -- and his readiness for Opening Day -- should develop when the Yankees resume workouts next week.

The Yankees have privately expressed optimism that Judge (ribs) will be ready to play when the MLB season begins in late July, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Though MLB's three-plus-month shutdown has likely benefited Judge as he heals up from a fractured rib and partially deflated lung, his status for Opening Day -- which is expected to fall July 23 or 24 -- won't be determined until at some point after the Yankees resume full-team workouts next week. When the Yankees last updated Judge's status three weeks ago, the slugger had yet to swing a bat, so it's far from a given that he'll be fully recovered from the injury by the time games begin. Judge has shown in the past that he doesn't need a full season of at-bats to post big power numbers, but the high risk he has of missing games will loom larger than normal in an abbreviated campaign.

Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames said Thursday that Judge (rib) has yet to resume swinging a bat, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports. "When the doctors turn him loose, he'll be ready," Thames said. "He's champing at the bit to get out there."

EDGE Analysis

Thames' comments regarding where Judge stands in his recovery from a fractured right rib are seemingly positive, but until the slugger is able to complete some on-field work, the Yankees likely won't be able to offer a clear target date for his return to game action. General manager Brian Cashman said last week that he expects Judge to be ready to play during "summertime," but he wasn't willing to provide any specifics beyond that.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday that he doesn't think Judge (rib) will be back to full health and ready to play until "summertime," Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

EDGE Analysis

Cashman's timeline for the star slugger is fairly vague, and the fact that the Yankees haven't pinpointed a more definitive target date for Judge's return since he was diagnosed with the fractured right rib in early March suggests he won't be a lock to play right away whenever the MLB season resumes. The Yankees might gain more clarity on Judge's timeline when he receives another CT scan next week, but until he's back on the field working out in some capacity, it may be difficult to gauge where exactly he stands in his recovery from the injury.