Aaron Judge to miss ALDS against Tampa Bay Rays

The New York Yankees won their Wild Card Series over the Boston Red Sox with relative ease, outscoring their rivals 18-2 in the two-game sweep. They did so without their biggest name and best player, three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge, and now will try to do the same in the American League Division Series.

The Yankees will again not have their captain for the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays, beginning Saturday at Tropicana Field. Judge will not be on New York's ALDS roster, reports the YES Network. The Yankees have not yet officially announced their ALDS roster. Judge, 34, has been on the injured list since Sept. 16 with a calf strain.

"We'll see," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said about Judge's ALDS status Friday. "He'll be working out today. He hit again live yesterday at Yankee Stadium. He's doing more live today over at (George M. Streinbrenner Field in Tampa) and here, so we'll make those calls probably later tonight."

Judge has done some running, though obviously not enough to be on the ALDS roster. Boone told reporters earlier this week that Judge had been "making progress," but he was still left off the roster for the Wild Card Series and now the ALDS.

Unlike during the regular season, when players can be added to the roster at will, Judge cannot replace another player during this round, barring injury. Had the Yankees chosen to roster him and found that he could not play, removing him would have also invalidated him for the ALCS, as a player being replaced on the roster due to injury, by rule, must be left off the roster for the next round. Forcing a return now could have led to Judge missing more time down the road.

Furthermore, if Judge had served as a designated hitter instead of playing right field in the ALDS, that would have forced Luis García Jr. to the bench with Ben Rice playing first base. García has been productive since the Yankees landed him ahead of the trade deadline, and he was 3 for 5 with a home run in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series.

Judge was sidelined for most of the 2026 regular season due to what was initially termed a bone bruise in his right ribcage that was also affecting his right shoulder. He returned in early September, but was only able to play in seven games before suffering a lower leg injury. As it turns out, the Yankees called the latest injury a right calf strain.

In those seven games after his return from the injured list, without a minor-league rehab assignment, Judge was 4 for 23 (.174) with 13 strikeouts, though he did hit a home run in his sixth game.

In total this season, Judge appeared in 66 games, hitting .241/.360/.511 (.140 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 18 home runs, 41 RBI, 45 runs and 1.9 WAR. The Yankees were 41-25 in games Judge started this season and, now including the playoffs, are 54-43.

The Rays had the best record in the AL this season at 98-64 and won the AL East by 4 ½ games over New York. The Rays won the regular-season series over the Yankees, 7-6.