Yankees Place Aaron Judge on IL with Calf Strain — SkimNews
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- Aaron Judge will be placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday after exiting mid-game two days earlier with a right calf strain, the Yankees announced before their game in Arizona
- Judge had just returned from a wrist injury that sidelined him for more than three months, playing only seven games before landing back on the IL
- The Yankees can backdate the transaction to make Judge eligible to return on the final day of the regular season (Sept. 27), though the Wild Card Series begins Sept. 29
- Manager Aaron Boone told reporters "I don't know" when asked about Judge's expected return; a comparison to Judge's 2020 calf strain (roughly three weeks missed) would put him back mid-ALDS
- Judge's 2025 production includes 66 games, a .241/.360/.511 line (140 OPS+), 18 homers, 41 RBI and 1.9 WAR, but he's hit just .174/.208/.304 in 24 plate appearances since coming back from the wrist injury
- The Yankees have already clinched a playoff berth but trail the Rays by five games in the AL East, with a four-game series at Yankee Stadium next week — one Judge will miss entirely
Why it matters: The Yankees go 41-25 when Judge starts and 47-39 when he doesn't, a six-win gap that makes his absence the single biggest factor in their AL Wild Card outlook. With Judge's calf strain requiring a multi-week recovery based on his 2020 history, New York likely opens the playoffs without its three-time MVP and most important hitter, putting pressure on the rest of the roster to survive the Wild Card Series.
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