Aaron Judge takes batting practice in encouraging Yankees sign

DENVER — Before the Yankees opened the second half on Friday night, they had an encouraging sight at Coors Field.

Aaron Judge took early batting practice on Friday afternoon and then did light agility drills, including some running, in the outfield.

It was a sign of progress for the reigning AL MVP, who has been out since June 3 with a sprained right big toe.

Before the All-Star break, Judge had advanced to hitting off a tee and hard tosses in the indoor cage and running on an anti-gravity treadmill.

It still remains to be seen when Judge might be able to return to the Yankees, and most importantly, if the toe injury affects him in the batter’s box when he puts all of his weight on that back foot.

For now, Friday’s events served as a dose of good news for the Yankees as they entered the second half one game out of a playoff spot.

As Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hit on the field, new hitting coach Sean Casey watched from behind the cage and spent time talking to the two sluggers in between their rounds.