Yankees ‘not expecting’ Aaron Judge to be available for Wild Card Series, Aaron Boone says

Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge is not expected to be available for the upcoming Wild Card Series against the Red Sox, New York manager Aaron Boone said.

“I’m not expecting it,” Boone said Tuesday, per The New York Post, “but I’m not ruling it out either.”

Judge has played in 66 games during this regular season, his fewest since 2020. He has been out since suffering a calf strain last Wednesday. He reportedly received a platelet-poor plasma injection in his calf on Monday to help manage the injury.

It’s a “moderate grade” strain, according to Boone who said Judge will avoid physical activity over the next couple of days.

“You hear all the time with injuries, we get ranges,” Boone said, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. “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.”

The Yankees and Red Sox have both clinched playoff spots. With Tampa Bay leading the A.L. East, the most likely scenario is that the Red Sox and Yankees will end up facing each other in the Wild Card Series next week.

Judge hit .500 during the playoffs last year with a home run and seven RBIs. He went 4-for-11 against the Red Sox during last year’s Wild Card Series, but did not record any extra base hits. Six of his seven playoff RBIs last season were against the Blue Jays.

The Yankees eliminated the Red Sox in the wild card last season during a best-of-three series in New York. If the current seedings hold, they’ll be in for a rematch in the Bronx. All four of the Wild Card Series are set to start next Tuesday on Sept. 29.

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.