Judge: Surgically repaired shoulder a 'work in progress' until Opening Day

Still working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery, New York Yankees star Aaron Judge admitted Monday he doesn't expect to be 100 percent healthy until his club kicks off the regular season March 29 against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

"It's a work in progress until Opening Day," Judge told ESPN's Coley Harvey.

Judge, who underwent a cartilage cleanup and had a loose body removed from his left shoulder in November, is expected to make his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday. Though lingering discomfort hasn't affected him in batting practice, Judge was held out of the lineup for the Yankees' first four spring games, and the 25-year-old won't make the road trip to Dunedin, Fla. to play the Blue Jays on Tuesday, either.

"I got my timing down and the arm feels good, so I think Wednesday's the date and I'm looking forward to it," Judge said.

With just over four weeks until Opening Day, Judge said his focus is on building up his strength in his shoulder rather than spring results.

"It's just about trusting it and trusting how it feels, and making sure I continue to build up my strength," Judge said. "It's about making sure it's pain-free when I wake up each morning."

After earning a spot on the 25-man roster out of spring training, Judge went on to author a historic rookie season in 2017, earning the American League Rookie of the Year award and finishing second in MVP voting after smashing 52 home runs while managing a 1.049 OPS (171 OPS+) over 155 games.