Judge Unlikely for Yankees' Wild Card Series with Calf Strain — SkimNews
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- Aaron Boone said Tuesday he is 'planning on [Judge] not being a part of' the Wild Card series but stopped short of ruling it out, noting calf strains carry recovery 'ranges' of two to six weeks.
- Aaron Judge was placed on the injured list Friday with a right calf strain, two days after exiting a game against the Twins; Boone labeled it a 'moderate grade' strain on Tuesday.
- Judge received a PPP injection Monday and will avoid physical activity over the 'next couple days' as the team weighs whether to push his return with the postseason a week away.
- Judge went 4-for-23 with 13 strikeouts and one home run in 24 plate appearances across seven games back from a fractured rib that sidelined him for more than three months.
- Judge, 34, is projected to finish the season at a .241 batting average with 18 home runs and an .871 OPS in just 66 games, a sharp drop after back-to-back historic MVP campaigns.
- Heliot Ramos started in right field for the fourth straight game in Judge's absence, with Spencer Jones and a potentially returning Trent Grisham (hamstring) as other right-field options.
- Tampa Bay entered Tuesday's doubleheader with a magic number of one to clinch the AL East, meaning the Yankees are likely to host the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card series for the second straight year.
Why it matters: Without Judge, the Yankees face a Wild Card matchup against the rival Red Sox missing their best hitter and likely starting Ramos — a 28-year-old with limited playoff experience — in right field, shrinking an already thin margin against a Boston team that has tormented them in recent Octobers.
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