The Yankees are heading into October with a major hole, and Aaron Judge is not expected to fill it in the Wild Card Series.
Before Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays, manager Aaron Boone told reporters the club is not preparing to have Judge available for the opening round of the postseason. According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, Boone made it plain: "We're not planning on him being a part of that," Boone told Kirschner and reporters about Judge's availability for the AL Wild Card.
That leaves New York without its best player for the first playoff series of the year, with Judge’s calf strain now pushing his return at least to the ALDS or later. The Yankees have already spent much of the 2026 season without him, as he missed a long stretch from the start of June until late August before returning briefly and then going back on the IL with the calf issue.
The timing couldn’t be worse. The Wild Card opponent is likely to be the Boston Red Sox, with the Tampa Bay Rays close to locking up the AL East and the Yankees and Red Sox positioned well ahead of the third Wild Card spot. That makes a home series against Boston the most likely path, but it’s one New York may have to navigate without Judge.
There is some good news in the mix for the Yankees. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is coming back, and Cam Schlittler is expected to be on the mound in what the team hopes will be a huge spot. But Judge’s absence changes everything about how the series looks and how much margin for error New York has.
It also adds another layer of uncertainty to Judge’s postseason outlook. He struggled some after returning from his earlier IL stint, and now the calf strain has put him back on the shelf with no firm timeline beyond the Wild Card round. For now, the Yankees are planning for life without him, and that could extend well beyond the first round.
In Other News...
Browns Just Added A New Twist To Steelers Night In Cleveland
Before the Browns even get to their Week 4 Thursday night meeting with the Steelers, theyve already put a little extra Cleveland flavor on the calendar. The team announced the game will be themed as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Game, a nod that fits neatly with a franchise that has spent the early part of the season trying to build momentum at home while getting ready for its Week 3 opener against Carolina.
It also adds another layer of intrigue for a prime-time matchup that already carries plenty of edge. The obvious question now is who, if anyone, will take part in the nights entertainment, especially with this years Hall of Fame class and their touring schedules offering a few possible fits. For now, though, the Browns have only set the theme, leaving the rest of the details to develop as Steelers week approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Todd Monken's Aggressive Style Is Testing Browns Fans Already
Todd Monken wasted little time putting his stamp on the Browns, and one of the earliest examples came in a game against the Buccaneers when he went for it on fourth down from his own 34-yard line. It was the kind of decision that tells a locker room a coach trusts his team, but it also left Cleveland flirting with a mistake that could have handed away points and tilted a tight game in Tampa Bays favor.
The Browns were already chasing at halftime before flipping things around in the second half and pulling out a 23-19 win, which made the call easier to defend in hindsight. Monken stuck by the aggressive approach afterward, even while acknowledging the execution on that play fell short, and that tension is exactly what will keep this new look under a microscope as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Suddenly Have A Tyson Campbell Concern They Can't Ignore
Tyson Campbell was on the field for the Browns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers even while working through an ankle issue, and he still managed to log five tackles before things took a sharper turn. After a collision, Campbell left with ankle and hip injuries, then did not come back once the weather delay hit, leaving Cleveland to finish the game without one of its more important defensive pieces.
Todd Monken said Campbells progress will be monitored through the week, and there is at least some optimism about his availability for the next game. Still, the Browns have reason to be careful here, because an injury that was already bothering him before kickoff became a bigger concern by the end of the afternoon, and his status now feels like one of the more important health questions on the roster. [Read more 🡒]