Aaron Judge’s missing name from the Yankees’ postseason introductions finally has an answer. His return to the lineup still doesn’t.
Manager Aaron Boone said Judge was in treatment after his on-field workout when the team went through its pregame ceremony, which explains why the captain wasn’t introduced before Tuesday’s Wild Card Series opener against Boston. The absence stood out because other Yankees who were inactive for the series were still part of the introductions, and it quickly became one of the odd little stories hanging over the matchup.
Judge then kept pushing his recovery forward. On Wednesday, he traveled to Somerset for live batting practice after already facing teammates during Monday’s workout at Yankee Stadium.
He also ran in the outfield before Tuesday’s game. The steps matter, but they don’t settle the bigger question: whether he can actually get back into the lineup for the next round.
“Probably too early to tell,” Boone said Wednesday when asked about Judge’s status for the AL Division Series.
That uncertainty remains the headline for the Yankees after their 9-2 win over the Boston Red Sox completed a two-game sweep and sent them on to a matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays beginning Saturday. New York moved on without Judge, outscoring Boston 18-2 in the series, with Max Fried throwing six innings of one-run ball in Wednesday’s clincher and Cody Bellinger launching a three-run homer.
Judge’s injury history makes the decision even more delicate. He has been out since Sept. 16, and the three-time American League MVP played only 66 regular-season games, finishing with a .241 average, 18 home runs, 41 RBIs and an .871 OPS. A fractured rib already cost him a large chunk of the season before the calf issue cut short his September comeback.
The Yankees are now trying to determine not just whether Judge can swing, but whether he can run and handle right field. Judge said after Wednesday’s clincher that he had not run the bases during his Somerset session, and that remains a key part of the evaluation. Tropicana Field’s artificial turf adds another layer to the equation, and Boone acknowledged before Game 2 that the surface could complicate things.
Designated hitter is one possible path back, but that would require sorting out the club’s current first-base and DH setup involving Ben Rice, Luis García Jr. and Paul Goldschmidt. A return to right field would give Boone more flexibility, but only if Judge is ready for it.
For now, the Yankees have one mystery cleared up and another still hanging in the air. Boone explained the missing introductions. The bigger issue is whether Judge will be ready when the Rays series opens Saturday.
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