The Boston Red Sox are officially squaring off against the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card Series, but the biggest question hanging over the Bronx Bombers is whether Aaron Judge will even be on the field. Judge, who has battled injuries all season, just got placed on the injured list for a calf strain, retroactive to last Thursday. This isn’t his first rodeo with the sidelines this year; he spent most of the regular season out with a fractured rib, making his overall line a meager .241/.360/.511 with 18 home runs and 41 RBIs across 66 games. That’s not exactly the reigning AL MVP everyone expects.
Judge’s Return Could Be a Risky Bet
Judge himself told MLB Media’s Bryan Hoch that he wants to be back for the postseason. “That’s definitely the plan. [It’s the] 10-day IL, so the 10th day is probably the last game of the season. We’ll see. I’ve got really no answers for you on any timeline or anything like that,” he said. While you usually want the best players on the field, facing a guy who’s been sidelined for most of the last four months? That might just be a gift for the Red Sox. Since he returned earlier this month on September 8, Judge has gone just 4-for-23 (.174) with a single home run in six games. Sure, a 50% Judge is still better than most at 100%, but his postseason history also shows a pattern of struggling to stay productive when it matters most.
The Numbers Don’t Lie on Postseason Production
Just look at the postseason numbers. He was phenomenal in 2025, hitting .500 (13-for-26), and respectable in 2018 with a .421 average (8-for-19), but those are the outliers. We’re talking 2-for-8 in terms of productive stretches. In 2024, he hit just .184 (9-for-49). In 2022? A measly .139 (5-for-36). Back in 2020, he was at .133 (4-for-30), and in 2017, only .188 (9-for-38). The man has 58 hits in 246 postseason at-bats, and that’s not exactly “winning baseball player” material for someone of his caliber. The Yankees *want* him in the lineup, obviously, but the choice is far from clear. Forcing him in means either benching a guy like Luis Garcia Jr. (.843 OPS) or Ben Rice (.889 OPS) from the DH spot, or putting a dude with a “bum calf” out in the outfield.
If the Yankees let him fully heal and miss the first series, they keep Rice and Garcia in, and have room for guys like Spencer Jones (1.177 OPS versus left-handed pitchers) and Paul Goldschmidt (.997 OPS versus left-handed pitchers). It’s a tough call for New York, but for Red Sox fans, the choice seems pretty obvious. This Wild Card Series is going to be a nail-biter, and Judge’s status could swing it one way or the other.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Over the Monster.
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