Wednesday could hardly have gone worse for the Yankees. They dropped a frustrating extra-innings game to the Minnesota Twins, watched the Tampa Bay Rays add another win, and saw their AL East deficit stretch to 4.5 games.
Then came the real scare: Aaron Judge had to be pulled before a key sixth-inning plate appearance. The issue was later identified as tightness in his lower right leg, and Judge said he felt something was off as early as the first inning. He didn’t want to force it.
Aaron Judge says he felt tightness in his right leg while playing defense in the first inning, so he wanted to play it smart pic.twitter.com/3pfOwxyUIb
That puts the Yankees in a tricky spot heading into the weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. New York has Thursday off, but Judge may still need to be held out of the field, especially with Chase Field using artificial turf. Judge already reported leg discomfort after playing on the grass at Target Field, and the Yankees have to weigh the risk of putting him on a harder surface before he’s fully right.
Keeping him at designated hitter isn’t an ideal fix either. It would force Ben Rice or Luis Garcia Jr. out of the lineup, which is a hit to the offense. Still, the bigger danger is obvious: playing Judge on turf while he’s less than 100 percent could turn a manageable issue into something much worse.
And for a team trying to catch the Rays, that’s the nightmare scenario. The Yankees have spent all season chasing the value of the division title, especially with the American League expected to offer a weaker playoff field.
But their postseason track record as a wild card makes the math pretty clear: winning the AL East matters. At the same time, losing Judge to another injury would wipe out any benefit that comes with the No. 1 seed.
So the Yankees may have no choice but to put Judge’s health ahead of the standings race. Since he returned on September 8, New York has won seven of nine, but that surge still wasn’t enough to close the gap without help elsewhere.
They didn’t get it. The Rays beat the lowly Athletics on Thursday, extended their winning streak to six games, and pushed their division lead to five games.
Tampa Bay does have a tougher stretch coming. After the A’s, the Rays’ final three series are all against playoff teams: the Red Sox, Yankees, and Phillies.
The Yankees’ road isn’t any friendlier. They’ll face an Arizona team still battling for a wild-card spot, so the weekend won’t be a soft landing.
After that comes the Rays series, and New York basically needs to sweep it to keep the AL East dream alive. Even then, they’d likely need another sweep against the Baltimore Orioles, who would love nothing more than to spoil the party.
Just over a week remains in the regular season, and the Yankees are staring at a bracket that could put them as the No. 1, No. 4, or No. 5 seed in the American League.
Their AL East odds are down to 6%, and the path there would require a sweep of Tampa next week plus help from around the league. The magic number for home-field advantage in the wild-card round is four.
That’s a lot to ask, and it all starts with Judge being available. If his injury lingers enough to limit him, the Yankees’ division chase could be over in a hurry. Without their captain supplying the middle-of-the-order punch, October suddenly gets a lot harder to imagine.
With Judge healthy, though, the picture changes fast. Pair him with a strong pitching staff, and the Yankees would have a real shot against anybody in the postseason.
The history, the odds, even the misery of Tropicana Field would still be there. But if Judge is in the lineup and locked in, New York at least has a puncher’s chance.
In Other News...
Red Sox Could Force A Yankees Wild Card Adjustment
Bostons postseason planning has already started to take shape, and one of the more intriguing ideas involves adding Braiden Ward to the mix as a late-game speed threat. The 27-year-old outfielder has built a reputation around his ability to steal bases in the minors, and interim manager Chad Tracy has acknowledged that side of his game while stopping short of saying anything is settled.
For the Yankees, the possibility matters because the Red Sox are expected to meet them in a Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium. A bench player who can change a game with his legs can alter how a team handles the late innings, from pitch selection to defensive positioning, and New York may need to account for that wrinkle if Boston decides Ward is worth carrying into October. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Volpe Is Making The Yankees Ask One Frustrating Question
Anthony Volpes brief stretch at second base has given the Yankees a fresh look at a move they waited too long to make. Since Jazz Chisholm Jr. landed on the injured list, Volpe has handled the new position in four games without an error, and the early returns have suggested the glove might play anywhere the club needs it. For a team always trying to squeeze more value out of its infield, that kind of smooth transition is hard to ignore.
What makes it frustrating is the timing. The Yankees have spent so much of Volpes young career treating shortstop as the only destination that they may have delayed a change that could have helped both him and the roster sooner. His defensive fit at second base is now in plain view, which leaves the bigger question hanging: whether this is just a temporary patch or the start of a shift that could reshape his path in New York. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Suddenly Have A Real Luis Garcia Jr. October Question
Luis Garcia Jr. arrived on Aug. 3 as the kind of move contenders make when they want another left-handed power bat for the stretch run, and he has done more than just fit in. Since settling in at first base, he has been a steadier defender while also producing at the plate, giving the Yankees a useful mix of offense and reliability at a spot that can quietly swing October games.
The bigger question now is whether Garcias work at first base can hold up under postseason pressure. Former manager Joe Girardi and broadcaster Michael Kay have both praised the defensive adjustment, but October has a way of testing every new wrinkle, and the Yankees suddenly have to decide how much trust to place in a player whose recent surge has made him a far more important part of the roster than anyone expected when he arrived. [Read more 🡒]