India, Sept. 6 -- Aaron Judge appears to be making steady progress toward a return to the New York Yankees lineup as he recovers from a rib stress fracture.

His prolonged absence has left the Yankees without one of their biggest offensive threats as they push for a playoff spot, with a wild-card berth appearing to be the more likely path unless the standings shift significantly.

The latest encouraging development came from Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who revealed that Judge is expected to step into the batter's box against live pitching early next week.

Before he can return to the active roster, however, Judge will need to complete at least two live-pitching sessions as part of his recovery process.

MLB insider Bryan Hoch reported th...