The Yankees have punched their ticket to the American League Division Series, but Aaron Judge remains the question hanging over their trip to Tropicana Field. Game 1 against the Rays is set for Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET, with Gerrit Cole lined up to start for New York. Judge’s availability will come down to how his right calf responds over the next few days.
Judge working toward an ALDS return
- Judge suffered a moderate strain of the soleus muscle in his right calf on Sept. 16 at Target Field against the Twins. That type of injury generally carries a recovery period of at least three weeks.
- The Yankees left their captain off the 26-man roster for the AL Wild Card Series while he continued treatment and tried to accelerate his return.
- He took four live batting-practice plate appearances at Yankee Stadium on Monday, then traveled to Double-A Somerset on Wednesday for more live at-bats.
- Judge moved from an anti-gravity treadmill to running on the field before Tuesday’s Wild Card Series opener, though he has not run the bases since the injury.
- His treatment schedule was extensive enough that he missed the player introductions before Tuesday’s game.
- After New York eliminated the Red Sox on Wednesday, Judge said his focus had been getting himself ready each day for the next opportunity.
Manager Aaron Boone said Judge has made meaningful progress in the roughly two weeks since the injury, and the club hoped to be ready for another roster decision within days.
The roster question goes beyond one bat
A healthy Judge changes the shape of any October lineup. In 66 regular-season games, the three-time American League MVP hit .241 with 18 homers, a .360 on-base percentage, a .511 slugging percentage and an .871 OPS.
But the Yankees are not simply deciding whether Judge can take an at-bat. Judge has maintained that he wants to return as an outfielder rather than as a designated hitter or a pinch-hit option. That matters because the DH lane is already crowded by Paul Goldschmidt, Luis García Jr. and Giancarlo Stanton.
Stanton, 36, made the Wild Card Series roster despite not appearing in a Major League game since April because of his own calf issues. Fitting Judge into that group would require more than finding him a few controlled plate appearances.
Turf adds another layer
The setting presents its own concern. Tropicana Field’s artificial surface is not an ideal place to test a recovering soft-tissue injury, and Boone acknowledged that the turf could place added stress on Judge’s calf.
Judge, now 34, has already had a fractured right rib interrupt his season. He missed 84 games before returning to the Yankees on Sept. 8, only to play seven games before the calf strain sidelined him again.
The Yankees will take the field Saturday against Tampa Bay with Cole on the mound and a division-series berth in hand. Whether Judge is in the outfield with them remains the last major roster call before the first pitch.
