Aaron Judge will not be in the Yankees’ lineup for Game 1 of the AL Wild Card series against the Red Sox, and he won’t appear in the series at all.
That answer came Tuesday morning when New York released its roster for the round. Judge, whose calf injury had created uncertainty late in the regular season, was left off the Yankees’ Wild Card roster, shutting the door on any possibility he’d return in time to face Boston.
The news lands as a major shift for the Red Sox, who had spent the buildup to the series waiting on Judge’s availability. There had been mixed signals in the final days of the regular season, with manager Aaron Boone suggesting his star slugger would not be ready for the start of the postseason. Judge, for his part, stayed confident he would be back in time.
Instead, the Yankees will move forward without the three-time AL MVP. Even at less than full strength, Judge would have been a serious threat - whether as a pinch hitter, designated hitter, or simply looming in the middle of the order. Boston won’t have to plan for any of that Tuesday night.
Giancarlo Stanton is on the Yankees’ roster and will be available. The likely outfield alignment for New York includes Cody Bellinger, Heliot Ramos and Spencer Jones, with Ben Rice at designated hitter.
For Boston, the absence of Judge changes the picture dramatically. Payton Tolle will not have to deal with him in Game 1, and the Yankees’ offense, while still dangerous, takes a significant hit without its biggest bat.
In Other News...
Yankees Just Gave Red Sox Fans More Motivation Before The Wild Card
With the Wild Card round looming, the Red Sox are approaching this matchup the way October usually demands, one series at a time. Boston has been laying out its rotation with this specific test in mind, and Chad Tracy has kept the message centered on the immediate challenge rather than peeking ahead to anything beyond it.
Across the diamond, Aaron Boones comments about already weighing pitching strategies for the Divisional round only add a little extra fuel to an already charged playoff meeting. Whether Boone intended it or not, it gives Boston plenty of bulletin-board material heading into a Yankees-Red Sox showdown where the first job is simple: survive the opening round and make sure the conversation about later series gets cut short. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Schlittler Just Made Yankees-Red Sox Game 1 Even More Heated
The playoff stage at Yankee Stadium was already going to bring plenty of edge, but Cam Schlittler has helped turn the opener into something even more combustible. The Yankees starter has been trading public jabs with Red Sox fans online, leaning into the noise instead of ducking it, and that has only sharpened the atmosphere around a rivalry that hardly needed extra fuel.
For Boston, the matchup matters because it is not just another October game, it is the first look at a series that now comes with a little more bite. Schlittler is set to be one of the key figures in the spotlight, and his duel with Red Sox starter Payton Tolle adds another layer to a night already heavy with history, tension and the kind of crowd energy that can tilt a series before it really gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Rookie Suddenly Enters Yankees Wild Card Pitching Debate
The Red Sox have lined up their Wild Card Series rotation against the Yankees, with Payton Tolle set for Game 1, Sonny Gray for Game 2 and Ranger Surez available for a decisive Game 3 if it comes to that. But one of the more interesting developments came Friday, when rookie Jake Bennett worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief, giving Boston another arm to think about as the games get tighter and every bullpen choice starts to matter.
Manager Chad Tracy still has a few pitching calls to make depending on how the series unfolds, and Bennetts outing only adds to the conversation. For a Red Sox staff that already has its starters mapped out, the bigger question may be how much trust Bennett has earned for October leverage, and whether his unexpected late-season push can turn into a real postseason role against their biggest rival. [Read more 🡒]