Aaron Judge wants to play in next week’s opening playoff round, a direct contradiction to what his manager, Aaron Boone, is telling everyone. Boone straight up said the team is “planning on him not being a part of that” Wild Card series roster, but Judge is out there pushing his own narrative, aiming to be in the lineup come Tuesday.
The Player’s Stance vs. Reality
Judge is all heart, no doubt. He’s telling ESPN and anyone who asks, “My goal is to come back as soon as I can.” He puts it on himself, saying, “I’ve got control over what I can do to get back as soon as I can.” You gotta respect that fire, right? He’s doing “everything I can every single day I show up here to get back and be ready to go.” But the reality is a nasty “moderate” grade right calf strain, specifically the soleus muscle. Doctors know what’s up with that: its closeness to the Achilles tendon and how calf strains generally behave means a recovery that stretches into weeks, putting his entire 2026 season in serious jeopardy. Boone is basically saying, “Look, I’m not *expecting* him, but I’m not *ruling it out* either.” That’s classic manager speak for “don’t hold your breath.”
The Troubling History and What It Means
This isn’t just some tweak either. Judge had a platelet-poor plasma (PPP) injection on Monday, which further limited his activity. And let’s be real, his return this season hasn’t exactly been dominant. He missed a whopping 84 team games earlier this year with a fractured first right rib. When he finally got back on September 8th, he hit a measly .174, going 4-for-23 in seven games. One homer, a .513 OPS, and 13 strikeouts. That’s not the Aaron Judge we know. He was pulled for a pinch-hitter on September 16th against Minnesota and hit the 10-day IL the very next day, retroactive to the 17th. So yeah, the team’s used to playing without him. Boone himself said their championship goals haven’t changed because of this, adding, “Look, we’ve played much of the year without him, and for the most part we’ve done a pretty good job.” They’re locked in as the AL’s top wild card, set to host a best-of-three series against Boston.
So, come Tuesday night, when the Yankees kick off that Wild Card series against Boston, will we see Judge in the lineup? He sure wants to be there, and you can never count out a competitor like him. But his calf has been screaming a different story all week, and the team’s already moved on without him once. Get ready, because this is gonna be an interesting week.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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