Overview
- An MRI after a Sept. 16 game showed Aaron Judge has a right soleus calf strain and the Yankees placed him on the 10‑day injured list retroactive to Sept. 17, a move formally announced on Saturday, Sept. 19.
- Manager Aaron Boone has said the club is preparing for the American League Wild Card Series as if Judge will not be available and described the injury as a “moderate” strain while leaving the door open to a late decision.
- Judge has publicly pushed back, telling reporters his goal is to be ready for the Wild Card opener on Sept. 29 and he has been receiving aggressive treatments, including a reported platelet‑poor plasma injection.
- Medical commentators warn the calf injury sits near the Achilles tendon and that rushing a return could raise the risk of a more severe injury, which helps explain the team’s cautious approach.
- Judge is eligible to be activated as soon as the regular‑season finale on Sept. 27, but the Yankees are finalizing lineups and roster plans without him for the best‑of‑three series, a decision that would immediately affect the club’s playoff strategy given the short format.