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.

Judge (rib) is likely to undergo another CT scan next week, and he's expected to need another after that, Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media reports.

EDGE Analysis

While Judge has not experienced any setbacks, the slugger remains weeks away -- and possibly longer -- from being cleared to play. On a positive note, the 28-year-old is said to be healing fine, and with Opening Day expected to take place no sooner early July, the possibility of Judge being ready to go at the start of the campaign remains feasible.

Judge has shown "encouraging" progress in his recovery from a stress fracture in his first right rib, according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, and will undergo another CT scan in "a couple more weeks," Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

"This time down has allowed that rib, that bone, to hopefully continue to heal," Boone stated on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM. "All signs are encouraging there and hopefully this time down allows that rib to heal properly and hopefully have him part all this as well." Boone's comments suggest Judge continues to make strides toward avoiding surgery and being able to return during a potential resumption of the MLB season. Still, the need for another CT scan is an indication that the slugger has yet to fully heal, so it remains too early to assume that he will be ready to take the field by Opening Day.

Judge (rib) has remained in Tampa to rehabilitate at the Yankees' training complex and has seen continued healing in his fractured rib, Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media reports.

EDGE Analysis

Yankees manager Aaron Boone commented on Judge's status Thursday, stating, "We're using this time, he's using this time to continue to heal. I don't really have much more for you other than, obviously, it's been very productive having the chance to have this time to allow that rib to heal. That is happening. But as for where he's at exactly, we don't have anything for you on that yet." A clear timeline for Judge's availability to take the field remains vague, but given his original hope that he could return to action by early May and the likelihood that a resumption of MLB play remains distant, it's not a stretch to believe that the slugger could be ready for Opening Day.

Judge (rib) has been rehabbing at the Yankees' training complex in Tampa and could take the next step in his recovery soon, Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge recently appeared on "The Huddle" (an Instagram Live chat with NBA star Damian Lillard), stating that he should start doing "a little bit more...in about a week or two." That's a positive sign that his rehab has been going well, though the star outfielder has not swung a bat since being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right first rib in early March.