The New York Yankees punched their ticket to the American League Division Series to set up a showdown with the Tampa Bay Rays. With Game 1 set for this Saturday, fans are wondering if Aaron Judge will be on the ALDS roster.
Judge, a three-time MVP, was left off the 26-man roster for the AL Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox. Unfortunately, he suffered a right calf injury at the end of the 2026 regular season. According to reports, his injury takes at least three weeks to fully heal.
On Friday afternoon, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked about Judge’s status for the ALDS. He reminded fans that Judge could be on the roster even if he’s not cleared in time for Game 1 at Tropicana Field.
“We’re looking at the days, and so it’s more, is he going to be available at some point in this series potentially as a player,” Boone said. “That’s what we’re kind of weighing, and then seeing where he’s at now these last few days, having taken live BP. We’ll see how [Friday] goes.”
It sure sounds like the Yankees are keeping Judge on the roster in the event he’ll be ready for Game 3 when the series shifts back to the Bronx.
Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images.
The New York Yankees are peaking at the right time.
The Yankees swept the Red Sox with ease in large part because of their starting pitching. The dynamic duo of Cam Schlittler and Max Fried only gave up one combined run in over 12 innings worth of work.
Make no mistake though, New York’s lineup was exceptional even with Judge sitting on the bench. Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger, Luis Garcia, Spencer Jones, George Lombard, Jazz Chisholm and Austin Wells all had big hits in the Wild Card Series.
If the Yankees want to make it back to the ALCS, they’ll need another well-rounded effort from their big-time bats. Of course, it would also help if Judge returns at some point during this series.
