Slugger and back-to-back American League MVP Aaron Judge will not be on the Yankees' roster for their Wild Card Series clash against the rival Red Sox, the team announced Tuesday, hours before Game 1. Judge has been on the injured list since Sept. 16 with a calf strain. On the upside for the Yankees, designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton will be on the roster for the Red Sox series. Stanton has sidelined since late April with a calf strain of his own.
The Yankees' opening-round clash with Boston begins with Game 1 on Tuesday night in the Bronx.
The decision to leave Judge off the roster comes as a bit of a surprise, as Yankees manager Aaron Boone on Monday told reporters, including the Athletic, that Judge had been "making progress" after taking some swings in the batting cage on Sunday. Judge himself on Monday said he'd been running on an anti-gravity treadmill, which had been "feeling great." He also said he might do more of the same on Monday and perhaps run outside. Despite those optimistic tones, the Yankees will be without Judge for the entire series.
"I don't think he's all the way back," Boone told reporters on Tuesday. The extra time off, Boone said, could mean Judge will be available for the next round, should the Yankees advance.
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.
As for Stanton, who turns 37 in early November, he played in just 24 games during the regular season with three home runs in 90 at-bats. In 2025, Stanton smacked 24 home runs in 77 games and slugged .594. He's the active career home run leader in MLB with 456 across parts of 17 seasons.
Stanton is also an accomplished producer in the playoffs. In 48 career playoff games, all with the Yankees, he's batted .254/.322/.605 with 18 home runs. Seven of those home runs came during the Yankees' run to the pennant in the 2024 playoffs. In this series, Stanton's right-handed power should be of particular use against a heavily left-handed Boston rotation. He'll be available strictly as a pinch-hitter, Boone said on Tuesday.
