Aaron Judge received a PPP injection in his right calf, and is not expected to play in the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox next week.
"We're not planning on him being a part of that," Aaron Boone told reporters before Tuesday's series opener against the Rays.
Boone added that the Yankee captain has a "moderate" calf strain, a far cry from Judge's initial comments after he suffered the injury back on Thursday, when he said he felt something in his calf in the first inning of play, and while he typically played through something like that, he elected to be cautious and was removed from the game after the fifth inning in Minnesota.
A moderate calf strain creates a major cause for concern when it comes to Judge's availability the rest of the postseason, which begins in a week. In just New York alone, Mets stars Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto each missed extended time with calf strains this year, while Giancarlo Stanton's calf issues ended his season before it could ever begin. After vague updates and tight-lipped secrecy following Judge being removed from the game last week, there are now legitimate concerns over when, if ever, Judge can contribute to the 2026 team.
The Yankees were expected to be the team to beat in a wide open American League. Now, they will have to survive a Wild Card Series after failing to win the division with Judge on the shelf for months with a stress fracture in his rib, and their opponent in the Red Sox will heavily rely on left-handed pitching to shut down the Bombers, including two starters in Payton Tolle and Ranger Suarez. Judge's right-handed bat, even if not at 100 percent, would have been a major boon for the Yanks against Boston's southpaws, but New York will now have to get even more creative with its lineup construction to survive this upcoming playoff rematch against its hated rival.
Aaron Boone says Judge has a "moderate" calf strain.
Aaron Boone says Judge has a "moderate" calf strain.
