New York submitted its roster for the best-of-three series against Boston without its captain, who has been sidelined by a calf strain.
The roster decision
NEW YORK — The Yankees left Aaron Judge off their roster for the best-of-three American League Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox, according to September 29 reports from the Associated Press and Reuters. The decision means Judge is unavailable for this series, which begins Tuesday night in New York. Major League Baseball lists Game 1 for 8 p.m. Eastern time at Yankee Stadium.
Judge has been out since September 16 with a right calf strain, the AP reported. He took live batting practice Monday, but the Yankees did not include him when setting the Wild Card roster. Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham are among the position players on it, according to the AP. The club’s choice defines its options for the opening round; it does not by itself establish when Judge might be ready to play again.
What it means for the Red Sox series
Boston and New York are scheduled to play Game 2 on Wednesday, September 30. A third game would be played Thursday, October 1, if the series is tied after two games, according to MLB’s postseason schedule. The first team to win twice advances.
With Judge unavailable in this round, New York must build its lineup without one of its most prominent hitters. The Yankees can still change their approach from game to game based on matchups and player availability; those decisions were not established by the roster announcement alone. Any account of the series result will have to wait until the games are played.
What happens after the Wild Card round
Reports have raised the possibility that Judge could become available in a later round if New York advances, but the Yankees’ Wild Card roster does not confirm a return date. His status for any future series should be checked against a fresh team announcement. For the competition’s format and next steps, see our 2026 MLB postseason bracket guide.
Sources
Featured image: Yankee Stadium photographed by Nick Fewings, via Unsplash. The image is illustrative and does not show this series or Aaron Judge.
[…] The matchup followed roster decisions made earlier Tuesday. AskNovus covered the Yankees’ Wild Card roster in this pregame report. […]