On Tuesday, Sep. 29, the New York Yankees will be going against the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card for the second straight season, and there is still no clarity about their captain, Aaron Judge. Though the Yankees have a slight edge with a 14-13 head-to-head record in the postseason, Judge’s return from injury is still uncertain, and according to an insider, it might not happen.
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Speaking on the YES Network on Sunday, Yankees insider/analyst Jack Curry said, “Aaron Judge is a gamer, Bob. He’s a leader. He’s a competitor… I think it would be a very difficult scenario to see Judge, with all of those circumstances, finding his way onto this roster… I don’t envision that occurring.”
Aaron Judge had only just returned from a rib injury when another setback sent him back to the sidelines. After missing over three months, Judge came directly to the team’s active roster on Sep. 8 without going to rehab. But his return lasted just seven games before he developed a calf strain.
Now, with the Yankees preparing for the Red Sox in the Wild Card round, Judge’s return has become one of October’s biggest questions.
The calf strain seemed to create tension between Judge and Boone over his return timeline.
Aaron Judge clearly said, “My goal is to come back as soon as I can,” while Boone wasn’t very clear about his captain’s return.
“We’re planning on him not being a part of that,” Boone said on Tuesday. “But we’re also at a time of the year where … obviously we’d push it a little bit if that was in play. But that’s a week away. I’m not expecting it, but I’m not ruling it out, either.”
Boone described the injury as a moderate-grade strain, and Judge clarified that it involved his soleus muscle. Judge also received a platelet-poor plasma injection on Monday, Sep. 21, which limited his baseball activity for the following few days.
Judge’s struggles before the calf injury had already shown how difficult his return was going to be. He went 4-for-23 with 13 strikeouts and one home run in the seven games he played upon his initial return. The 415-foot, three-run homer against the Twins gave Yankees fans a moment of happiness. But even after that, his timing was never really there and the calf problem just added to that.
But this season has been a little different because even without Judge, the Yankees have managed to win plenty of games. The Yankees went 41-25 (.621) when Judge played and 52-43 when he did not. That gave them a .547 winning percentage without their captain during the regular season. Their offense has also found ways to keep winning despite his extended absences.
But their success without Aaron Judge in the regular season may not translate to October, when the competition is stronger. Against the Red Sox in the postseason, Judge is hitting .355 with 11 hits and two home runs in eight playoff games. Last October, Judge went 4-for-11 when the Yankees eliminated the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series.
They have already shown they can win without him during the regular season. October, however, will bring stronger pitching and far less room for mistakes. If Aaron Judge cannot return, the Yankees will need their other hitters and pitchers to carry more responsibility. And that is the challenge if the Yankees want to break their World Series drought since 2009.