Aaron Judge injury update: Return date for New York Yankees slugger revealed

Barring a late setback, the Yankees plan to activate Judge this weekend in Baltimore, likely in time for Friday’s series opener against the Orioles – The Post’s Joel Sherman reported Wednesday.

After two straight days of playing in simulated games at the Yankees’ player development complex in Tampa, Judge flew back to New York on Wednesday night.

If healthy on Thursday, he is expected to join the Yankees for what will be his first game since June 3, when he slammed his foot on a concrete ledge at Dodger Stadium while making an outstanding reception and tore a ligament in the big toe of his right foot.

It remains to be seen how productive Judge can be at the plate while playing through some pain for the rest of the season – which he acknowledged he will have to do – but the Yankees can use a lot of what they can from the reigning AL MVP as they try to make a run at a playoff spot again.

"We definitely need him," Anthony Rizzo said on Wednesday before the Yankees’ 3-1 win over the Mets. "Just for him to be him and the morale, it’s like acquiring [a top player]. Hopefully he comes back and just gets right back to it."

The Yankees finished Wednesday at 19-23 since Judge last played, slipping from the third AL wild card to 2 ¹/₂ games out of the final playoff spot.

Their offense has become a shell of itself without Judge – averaging just 3.9 runs per game – but the Yankees are banking on his return and their veteran hitters breaking out of the doldrums to turn their season around.

“He"s arguably the best player in the sport," Carlos Rodon said. “Definitely, it would be nice to have that bat [back]. He"s our captain, our leader, so it"ll be great to have him back."