NEW YORK -- Aaron Judge said that he believes his fractured right wrist will heal in time to impact the Yankees' push for the postseason, though as he remains unable to swing a bat, that progress has been slower than anticipated.
"The pain is going down," Judge said on Tuesday. "If it was a five two weeks ago, it's going down to a four. It's just kind of working its way down. We're just trying to get down to zero so we can move forward."
Judge was hit by a pitch from the Royals' Jakob Junis on July 26 at Yankee Stadium, after which the Yanks gave an optimistic timeframe of three weeks to resume facing pitching. Judge said on Tuesday that an injury like his normally takes about six weeks to heal.
• Surging Yanks can only get so far sans Judge
Though his wrist remains sore to the touch and when he rotates it, Judge said that he has been able to perform some exercises while he waits for clearance to resume hitting and throwing.

"It's getting better every couple of days. That's been the great thing," Judge said. "It's still broken. I'm still waiting for it to heal, but there's some stuff that we can kind of get through. They told me I can play before it completely heals. I'm just trying to get better every day."
Judge has not been wearing a brace or cast on the wrist, having been told at the time of the injury that one was not required. The Yankees have described Judge's injury as a pain tolerance issue, and Judge indicated that a return to action could be possible before the fracture completely heals.
"That's what I've heard, that I can play with it," Judge said. "I don't need surgery, I don't need anything like that. You can play with it before it fully heals. It's just getting that pain down to zero."
Comeback trail
• Gary Sanchez (right groin strain) went 2-for-4 with a home run in his first Minor League rehab game for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that it is possible Sanchez could be activated by the weekend. Sanchez was in the lineup as the RailRiders' DH on Tuesday and could catch two more games at Triple-A before a decision is made.
• Didi Gregorius (left heel bruise) hit in the batting cage and took ground balls on Tuesday. Gregorius was scheduled to work out in the weight room during Tuesday's game, then run on the field Wednesday, which Boone said would put Gregorius "on a little bit of a faster track" to return.
• Albertin Chapman (left knee tendinitis) was scheduled to have a second platelet-rich plasma injection on Tuesday, which Boone said was part of the original plan. Chapman could resume playing catch this week.
Justus department
Justus Sheffield has made two relief appearances at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre since moving from the rotation, permitting two runs and five hits in four innings. The Yankees' top-rated prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Sheffield has walked none and struck out three while the organization prepares him for a big league relief role.
"I think he's had two bullpen outings now where he's gone a couple of innings; they've been OK," Boone said. "I think we want to see him get at least another one down there. That's one of the conversations we've been having. I don't think anything's been decided for sure yet, but [Sheffield is] something we're talking about certainly in the coming days."
This date in Yankees history
Aug. 28, 1977: Ron Guidry records his third shutout of the season in a 1-0 victory over the Rangers, allowing two hits while facing one batter over the minimum. Graig Nettles tripled and scored on a Reggie Jackson single for the game's only run.