When the New York Yankees take the field against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday for Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, Aaron Judge will reportedly not be in the lineup.
"Aaron Judge will NOT be on the Yankees’ wild card roster," reported YES Network's Jack Curry.
Judge has been dealing with a calf strain, but he was working hard to get back into the lineup. He received a PPP injection on Sept. 21 and took live batting practice on Monday. However, in the end, it looks like he could not beat the clock and be ready in time.
Judge missed most of this season with a rib injury, but chose to come back without a rehab assignment. His timing was not quite back at the plate, but that was to be expected. The Yankees were hoping he could find his swing in time for October, but the calf strain shut him down. Now, there are no rehab games for him to play in, so the next time he takes the field will be in a postseason game, and that's if he can get healthy.
Judge strained his calf on Sept. 17, and the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, if the Yankees beat the Red Sox, would start on Oct. 3. Judge would be 15 days removed from his injury at that point.
If he thought he had a chance to play in this series, perhaps he will be good to go for the next round. It's still unclear what role the Yankees would have him in if he were available. Could he play in the field, or would he be strictly a designated hitter?