How Yankees’ Aaron Judge felt pain, backed off biggest test

Yankees star Aaron Judge (fractured right wrist) felt pain after throwing so he didn’t swing before Friday’s rain-shortened 7-5 win over the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium.

NEW YORK — Yankees manager Aaron Boone called it progress, even though his star didn’t take the step they wanted.

Before the Yankees’ 7-5 rain-shortened win over the Blue Jays on Friday, Boone told reporters Aaron Judge “might” take dry swings.

It would have been the best sign yet that the 26-year-old was nearing the end of the rehabilitation process for the fractured right wrist that has had him on the disabled list since July 27 and has left the Yankees’ lineup with a big hole.

But it didn’t happen, Boone said, because Judge still felt pain following throwing.

Was that concerning?

“You just don’t know. We’re waiting, again, for (the pain) to be out of there, and once it is, then we’ll go,” Boone said after the win. “But we’re not going to press it, especially now that we’ve waited this long. I think when he starts swinging a bat, you’ll know that he’s probably getting close and the pain at the end point is out of there.”

Don’t give up on Greg Bird?

Boone said that Judge might not be given a day off Saturday to recover from the soreness.

“Not necessarily, no,” the manager said. “I think all in all it was a good day today. He continues to progress and he’ll continue to work through all that he does and we’ll just kind of see where we’re at day by day.”

Judge, the 2017 AL MVP runner up and Rookie of the Year, has said he still feels pain at the end range of motion for his wrist, which was fractured when he took a fastball off it.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.