Aaron Judge Likely To Miss The Wild Card Series Against Boston Red Sox

Aaron Judge is expected to miss the Wild Card series for the New York Yankees after suffering a calf strain earlier this month.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told the media about whether Judge would be back for the Wild Card “We’re planning on him not being a part of that.”

The Yankees clinched a wild card spot as the 4-seed in the AL playoffs, where they will play the Boston Red Sox. Recovering from an injury in the summer, Judge would rejoin a hot Yankees team that had hopes of knocking off the Tampa Bay Rays to secure the division. 

Only a few games behind before what could have been a division-deciding series, Judge would be placed on the injured list with a right calf strain following his exit against the Minnesota Twins. Boone labeled it a “moderate grade” strain and said Judge received a PPP injection and will avoid physical activity over the “next couple days.”

“You hear all the time with injuries, we get ranges,” Boone said. “Two to four weeks, four to six, all these things. There are ranges for a reason, and we’re at a point in the year where obviously we push it a little bit if that was in play. But that’s a week away so I’m not expecting it, but I’m not ruling it out either.” 

Judge sustained the injury in his seventh game back after he missed over 3 months with a fractured rib. With Judge, the Yankees are 41-25, while they are 52-43 without Judge.

“We have a lot of talent in this locker room and we have a lot of depth. I think a lot of different guys have stepped up, whether it’s their first year in the big leagues or getting traded or whoever. We’ve had a lot of guys come in, step up, and continue playing winning baseball,”  said Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger. 

The Yankees have had the upper hand over their rivals this season with a 7-6 record, but now those wins are irrelevant as the next 3 games decide who gets to advance to the ALDS.