Judge makes progress; Yanks fizzle out of break

DENVER — New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge took batting practice and ran in the Coors Field outfield Friday as he recovers from a torn ligament in his right big toe.

“I kind of wanted to test it here in the Mile High City a little bit,” Judge said before the Yankees’ 7-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies in their first game following the All-Star break.

The reigning American League MVP said he’s been fitted with an insole for support.

New York manager Aaron Boone said he’s encouraged by Judge’s progress, both running and hitting. He was asked if Judge could return to the lineup in July.

“I think there’s a shot,” Boone said ahead of Friday night’s game. “Now is that going to be, ‘Aaron Boone said he thinks he’ll be back in July?’ That’s not what I said. I was answering a question. I’m not going to put a time frame on this. He’s doing well. He’ll be ready when he’s ready.”

Judge is batting .291 with 19 homers, 40 RBIs and a 1.078 OPS in 49 games. He hasn’t played since injuring his toe when he banged into a bullpen gate while making a terrific catch at Dodger Stadium on June 3.

In their first game since new hitting coach Sean Casey was hired, the slumping Yankees got off to a fast start but then fizzled in the batter’s box at offense-friendly Coors Field.

Carlos Rodón gave up four runs over five innings in his second game of the season, and New York was unable to come back.

The Yankees (49-43) are 14-18 since Judge got hurt, hitting a major league-low .219. They have been held to two runs or fewer in 12 of those games.

New York is tied for last place in the AL East this late in a season for the first time since Aug. 23, 1992.

“I’m not worried about where we are,” Boone said after the loss. “It’s all in front of us. We don’t have to go on an incredible run. We all know we have to play better than we have been playing. We have to generate more, it’s as simple as that.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.