David Lennon: Yankees' Aaron Judge expresses optimism about his availability when playoffs start
Yankees' Aaron Judge looks on during the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2026. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Yankees are weighing a number of wide-ranging possibilities for the playoffs, some still in the experimental stage during this final week of the regular season.
Could one of those scenarios involve the return of Aaron Judge for the Wild Card Series?
Judge thinks so. The day after Aaron Boone cast doubt on Judge’s availability for next week’s opening round of the postseason, saying that “we’re planning on him not being a part of that,” the Yankees’ captain pried the door open — at least in his own mind — after Wednesday night’s 9-2 rout of the Rays.
“My goal is to come back as soon as I can,” Judge said. “That’s what we’re doing right now. So if [Boone] says I’m not going to be ready, I got no control over that. I got control over what I can do to try to get back as soon as I can.
“If you ask me if I’m going to be back, I’m going to tell you, yeah, I’m doing everything I can every single day I show up here to get back and be ready to go.”
It’s worth noting that Judge, who is on the IL with a calf strain, stopped short of making any bold predictions or guarantees about being in Tuesday’s Game 1 lineup for the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox. Bottom line, there’s no way Judge could at this point, and the precarious nature of his calf injury — along with the complications for other parts of his leg, primarily his Achilles tendon — lean heavily toward him needing more time.
Typically, the recovery process is anywhere from 3-6 weeks, even though Judge took exception with Boone’s characterization of his strain being “moderate.”
“Everybody’s moderate is a little different,” Judge said. “I think your moderate is a little different than my moderate and so on. So I don’t know why he used those words.”
Boone softened his stance to some degree after Wednesday night’s game, but still admitted it was premature to make any definitive statements regarding Judge’s availability for the wild-card round.
“I’m not ruling anything out,” Boone said. “We got days away until that. Not that I’m necessarily expecting that, one way or the other, but we’re going to listen to the body and see how he heals. If he’s in a position to come back, obviously we’re going to want him.”
Pressed further, Boone didn’t want to wade any deeper into speculation, which was not surprising.
It’s not the first time Boone and the face of the franchise have butted heads on an injury prognosis. Usually, the manager treads carefully through this minefield, knowing Judge’s sensitivity when it comes to his medical status. On this occasion, Boone apparently crossed a line, though Judge denied being annoyed with his manager.
“Boonie’s my guy,” Judge said. “I always got his back. I know he makes the right decision. Obviously, as a player, you don’t want to hear that. But that’s out of my control. I got a job to do. I got to come back and be ready to go and that’s what I’m focused on right now.”
The Yankees didn’t miss Judge in Wednesday’s blowout of the Rays. Ben Rice homered twice — giving him 41 this season — and Ryan McMahon (5 RBIs) added a grand slam. George Lombard Jr. also went deep. Gerrit Cole prepped for next week’s playoff start by allowing three hits and two runs over 5 2⁄3 innings, trimming his ERA to 3.61 in his first season back from Tommy John surgery.
Regarding Judge, the Yankees are going to need some clarity in the coming days, but he’s only a week into his recovery from the calf strain, which he suffered Sept. 16 against the Twins at Target Field — just seven games back from a rib fracture that cost him 3 1⁄2 months on the IL. Judge also is waiting to resume more intense physical activity after receiving a platelet-poor plasma (PPP) injection on Monday, but the clock is ticking and he realizes there is risk involved.
“I’m not a doctor — I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Judge said. “I just know how I feel when I wake up in the morning, I evaluate how I’m feeling and continue to make progress to get back on the field. I can’t tell you what the future is going to hold. I just focus on today and try to improve a little bit every single day, so when the time comes around for the postseason, we’re ready to go.”
Speaking of calf strains, one of Wednesday’s more shocking revelations was that the perpetually-injured Giancarlo Stanton, sidelined since April 24 by a multitude of calf strains, is taking swings against live pitching at Double-A Somerset with the idea he could be available for next week’s Wild Card Series.
You read that correctly, too. The same Stanton whose rehab was derailed for the umpteenth time in August by falling on the basepaths — presumably ending his season — now looms as a potential October threat, one that would be very useful against the lefty-heavy Red Sox, as Boston is the likely first-round foe.
Boone was understandably noncommittal when pushed on Stanton’s condition, given how many false starts we’ve chronicled involving the fragile DH. But the fact that he’s even on the radar is astounding, and Boone tossed in a nugget about Stanton going deep during Wednesday’s session with fellow rehabber Trent Grisham.
“They’re knocking on the door,” Boone said.
But is it realistic for Stanton to be ready for the wild-card round?
“I don’t know,” the manager added. “Anything’s possible. But we’ll see.”
The Yankees are sorting through a lot of those hypotheticals lately. And none bigger than Judge.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
