Updated

Updated · ESPN · Sep 22

Yankees Expect Aaron Judge to Miss Wild Card Series With Moderate Calf Strain, 1 Week Away

Updated

Updated · ESPN · Sep 22

Yankees Expect Aaron Judge to Miss Wild Card Series With Moderate Calf Strain, 1 Week Away

Q: Did skipping a rehab assignment doom Aaron Judge's season, and can the Yankees survive October without their captain?

No. Skipping a rehab assignment did not by itself doom Aaron Judge’s season, but it clearly increased the risk that he would return rusty and physically vulnerable after more than three months out. The evidence cuts both ways. Judge had previously returned without a rehab stint and believed major league at-bats were more useful than minor league ones. The Yankees also tried to manage his workload once he came back. But after a 99-day layoff from a rib injury, he returned straight into meaningful games, went 4-for-23 with 13 strikeouts, and then suffered a right calf/soleus strain in his seventh game back. That does not prove the skipped rehab caused the calf injury, yet it is fair to say the lack of a gradual build-up left little margin for error. The bigger issue for October is that Judge was never fully reconditioned before another lower-body injury hit. Boone’s latest update — that the Yankees are planning as if Judge will miss the Wild Card Series — reflects that reality. A moderate calf strain, plus a PRP injection and several days of shutdown, makes a quick turnaround difficult. Can the Yankees survive without him? Yes, but their margin is thin. They have stayed afloat for much of the year without Judge, and Boone is right that there is no true replacement but there are still capable bats. Still, Judge is their best hitter, captain and lineup changer. Without him, New York can win a short series, but asking them to make a deep October run becomes much harder.

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Sep 22

Aaron Boone said Tuesday the Yankees are planning for Aaron Judge to miss next week’s Wild Card series, though he stopped short of ruling him out entirely.
A moderate-grade right calf strain sent Judge to the injured list Friday; Boone said Judge received a PPP injection Monday and will avoid physical activity for the next couple of days.
Judge, 34, suffered the injury in his seventh game back from a fractured rib that had sidelined him for more than three months, and he went 4-for-23 with 13 strikeouts after returning.
Heliot Ramos has started the last 4 games in right field, with Spencer Jones another postseason option if center fielder Trent Grisham returns from a hamstring injury.
Tampa Bay entered Tuesday’s doubleheader with a magic number of 1 to clinch the AL East, leaving New York likely to host Boston in the Wild Card round again.