The Yankees will duel Boston in the first round of the Postseason without their superstar Aaron Judge.
Per YES Network’s Jack Curry, Aaron Judge will not join the Yankees for the AL Wild Card round. The right fielder will miss his 97th game of the year and the first Postseason game of his career. It’s a right calf strain, completely separate from the rib fracture that held him out from June to September.
The good news for New York is that Giancarlo Stanton will be available. While he hasn’t played since April, his October pedigree is incredibly strong. His efforts strongly contributed to the Yankees’ trip to the World Series in 2024.
Without Judge, New York will carry four outfielders and two designated hitters on their Postseason roster:
- OF Cody Bellinger
- OF Trent Grisham
- OF Spencer Jones
- OF Heliot Ramos
- DH Ben Rice
- DH Giancarlo Stanton
New York’s move for Heliot Ramos at the trade deadline looms large today. He posted a .908 OPS against lefties in 2026, filling the right-handed bat role vacated by Judge. All of Bellinger, Grisham, and Jones bat from the left side.
The Red Sox could toss several talented lefties in the series, including Payton Tolle, Jake Bennett, Ranger Suarez, and Aroldis Chapman. Considering these arms, New York GM Brian Cashman is likely happy with his move for Ramos.
What’s next for Judge?
Assessing player health in the Postseason is never easy when you consider that the season could end in a matter of days. Judge himself stated that he intended to play in the Wild Card series. He even specified that he wanted to start in right field Tuesday night.
Intriguingly, his manager, Aaron Boone, shared optimism on Monday, stating that Judge had been “making progress” in his recovery. In a win-or-go-home three-game series, it’s somewhat of a shock that Judge won’t be available in any capacity.
However, the consensus from Judge and his skipper is that he’s close. Barring any setbacks not disclosed yet, it’s hard to imagine that Judge would miss a second series. The Yankees would go on to play the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS if they were to move on.
However, the matchup with Boston is the big challenge at hand. New York was the more consistent team through the season, although the Red Sox had the better second-half record.
Playing without Judge won’t be anything new for the 2026 Yankees, but that’s not quite a good thing. You get the sense that Boston smells blood in the water.
This Wild Card matchup is shaping up to be a series of pitching duels, where every at-bat counts.
