The New York Yankees advanced past the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card Series without their captain and three-time American League MVP Aaron Judge, winning the two-game matchup decisively. The team will continue without Judge for the upcoming American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, beginning Saturday at Tropicala Field.
Judge, 34, has remained on the injured list since mid-September due to a calf strain. Manager Aaron Boone indicated the decision to exclude him from the roster was made to allow additional recovery time rather than risk further injury by forcing an immediate return. Boone noted Judge has recently begun running and taking batting practice over the past couple of days, and that approximately five to seven more days of building running endurance and game preparation would be beneficial for a meaningful recovery.
The playoff roster rules factored into the decision as well. Unlike the regular season, players cannot be freely added to rosters during divisional series play except in cases of injury replacement. Had Judge been included and subsequently unable to play, he would have been ineligible for the following round under league rules governing injured player roster changes. Additionally, utilizing Judge as a designated hitter would have required benching productive infielder Luis García Jr., who contributed significantly in the preceding series.
Judge’s availability has been limited throughout the season. He missed substantial time early due to a right ribcage bone bruise affecting his shoulder, returning in early September before suffering the current lower leg injury after just seven games. Over 66 total appearances, he recorded a .241 batting average with 18 home runs and 41 RBIs.
The Rays enter the division series as the top seed in the American League with a 98-64 regular-season record and won the AL East by 4½ games over New York, also winning the regular-season series between the teams.
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