Aaron Judge takes first step in Yankees rehab process

Aaron Judge has taken the first step back toward a possible return by next week.

The Yankees slugger, who is dealing with a right elbow flexor strain, began his hitting progression on Tuesday afternoon, hitting off a tee and tosses in the indoor cage.

He is expected to repeat that in the coming days before potentially advancing to taking swings off a pitching machine by this weekend.

The Yankees hope Judge will be able to return from the injured list after the minimum 10-day stay — he is first eligible to be activated next Tuesday — though that will depend on how he responds to the increase in workload over the next week.

“That’s the expectation, but we’ll listen to the body and the trainers and him and see where we’re at,” manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday before the Yankees beat the Rays 7-5 in The Bronx. “It’ll be a progression towards that 10-day mark.”

Judge, who received a PRP injection on Saturday, is still early in a 10- to 14-day shutdown from throwing, which would make him strictly a DH when he first returns.

“I think on some level, there’s probably a subtle compromise hitting too because the [flexor] muscle is involved with the gripping,” Boone said. “So I’m sure there’s some level of compromise, but it wasn’t something that was too bad.”

Paul Goldschmidt has been around long enough to know that a slump isn’t the end of the world.

What makes his current struggles particularly tough to deal with, though, is that they’ve coincided with the Yankees’ own backsliding in the standings — adding to the weight of 99 plate appearances without a home run for the first baseman, over which he’s struggled to hit for average, too.

“I wouldn’t say it’s harder, but I think you feel more of a burden,” Goldschmidt said before going 1-for-4 with an RBI on Tuesday night. “If you go 0-for-4 and the team wins, you move onto the next day, but definitely after a game if we lose — and [Monday] night, had some chances to get on base and didn’t do it. Doesn’t have to be a home run, but a productive at-bat, you don’t do it, you feel like you’re a part of the reason or responsibility [for losing].”

Brian Cashman and his staff are huddled up at the club’s player development complex in Tampa ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.

“It’s an important time,” Boone said. “I talked to [Cashman] on the way home [Monday] night. … So we’ll see. I think there’s so many balls in the air, so many conversations being had between us and other clubs, but obviously other clubs. Where the dust settles, it’s anyone’s guess.”

Spencer Jones returned to the lineup at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday after missing the past three games with back spasms.

The outfield prospect, who may have become close to untouchable at the trade deadline, had been on a tear since being promoted from Double-A, with 13 home runs in 19 games entering Tuesday.

Boone offered his thoughts on Ryne Sandberg, the former Cubs Hall of Famer who died Monday at the age of 65.

Sandberg was coming up through the Phillies farm system when Boone’s dad was playing there, and the two also interacted when Boone worked for ESPN and Sandberg managed the Phillies.

“Had his Nike poster on my wall, as well as a number of others when I was 8, 9, 10, 11 years old,” Boone said. “Just a really gracious, really great guy, gone too early, that obviously had an amazing career.”