The Yankees' Wild Card Series clash with the Red Sox begins with Game 1 on Tuesday night, and New York still doesn't know whether back-to-back American League MVP Aaron Judge will be on their roster. Judge has been on the injured list since Sept. 16 with a calf strain, but there's a real chance he'll be activated in time for the Boston series. Yankees manager Aaron Boone on Monday told reporters, including the Athletic, that Judge is "making progress" after taking some swings in the batting cage on Sunday but that no roster determination has been made yet.
Boone also said, via MLB.com, that Judge may be able to take part in live batting practice later Monday, which would be the next checkpoint for him. "We'll listen to the trainers and medical, and see where we're at," Boone said. Judge, 34, has not enjoyed a vintage season in 2026, although he's still been highly productive when healthy: The above is good for an OPS+ of 140, which means his OPS has been a hefty 40% better than the average hitter this season on a ballpark-adjusted basis.
Earlier this season, Judge missed three months with a rib fracture. The Yankees during the regular season were tied for ninth in MLB in runs scored and ranked 11th in OPS. That's a solid if not excellent attack, but it's certainly lessened by not having Judge in the lineup.
Even a somewhat compromised Judge would be a boon to the Yankees against a strong Red Sox rotation. Without Judge, there's just not a great deal of depth in the lineup after Ben Rice and, to a lesser extent, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. The Yankees this season are 41-25 (.621) with Judge in the starting lineup and a still respectable 52-43 (.547) when he's not.
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