The New York Yankees are reportedly placing Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list on Saturday.
The move will come after Judge exited Wednesday's game early with lower-leg tightness. After Wednesday's game, Judge noted that he did not think the injury was serious and that the team was taking a cautious approach. He did not even think he would need any additional testing. Clearly, he was wrong, and now his postseason is in jeopardy.
Judge missed 85 games with his rib injury and came back without a rehab assignment. Perhaps a slower ramp-up in the field through a rehab assignment would have done him some good, but alas, that is not the decision he and the Yankees made. After he goes on the injured list, he will be ineligible to return until the final game of the regular season.
That would have him back in time to be in the lineup for the wild card series, assuming the Yankees don't win the division. However, he still may not have his timing right at the plate. He hit .174 in his seven games back from the injured list.
Additionally, this is assuming that his calf strain is not severe and he is actually healthy in 10 days. Calf injuries are always tricky, because if the team rushes him back, they open the door for more serious injuries, like an Achilles injury.
It will be easier to speculate how long Judge will need to get back once the team shares more details about the injury. However, it's hard to imagine he comes back from a calf injury 100% in 10 days. At this point, the Yankees should prepare for the possibility that he will not be ready for a potential matchup with the Boston Red Sox in the wild card round.