ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Aaron Judge spent Friday doing almost everything a player can do without appearing in a game. He worked on the grass at George M. Steinbrenner Field, took batting practice later at Tropicana Field and continued testing a right calf that has kept him out since Sept. 16. By Saturday morning, the Yankees must decide whether those controlled steps are enough to place their captain back on a postseason roster with the season moving into a best-of-five round.
The decision is complicated by everything that came before the calf strain. Judge missed 84 games with a fractured right rib, returned Sept. 8 and lasted only seven games before landing back on the injured list. He hit .174 with one home run in 23 at-bats during that brief return and struck out 13 times. His full-season line finished at .241/.360/.511 with 18 homers and an .871 OPS in 66 games, but the Yankees have not seen him handle normal game speed for more than two weeks.
New York also just learned how much it can accomplish without him. The Yankees swept Boston 9-0 and 9-2 at Yankee Stadium, outscoring the Red Sox 18-2 and outhitting them 26-7 in the Wild Card Series. Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger, Luis García Jr., Spencer Jones, George Lombard Jr., Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Austin Wells all produced important offense while Judge watched. That success does not make the Yankees better without their best hitter. It gives Aaron Boone room to avoid forcing a return simply because the calendar has reached October.
Tampa Bay creates a different test. The Rays won 98 games, took the AL East and went 55-26 at Tropicana Field. Game 1 begins Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET with Gerrit Cole facing Drew Rasmussen. The artificial turf is another concern for a player returning from a soft-tissue injury, and Judge has not yet run the bases since hurting the soleus muscle in his right calf. Those factors have turned what looked like a simple yes-or-no roster decision into something more unusual.
Yankees roster Judge before they are ready to play him
There is a realistic path in which Judge makes the Yankees’ 26-man ALDS roster without appearing in Game 1.
Boone acknowledged Friday that New York is evaluating the entire series, not merely Saturday. Judge has taken repeated live at-bats, but his availability could change as the series moves back to Yankee Stadium.
“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. 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,” Boone said.
Games 1 and 2 are at Tropicana Field on Saturday and Monday. Game 3 is Wednesday in the Bronx. That schedule gives Judge two off days before the series reaches Yankee Stadium, creating room to increase his role later.
The roster gamble could carry an ALCS price
The catch is that a limited Judge still occupies a full roster spot.
MLB allows an injured player to be replaced during a postseason series with approval from the Commissioner’s Office. The replaced player becomes ineligible for that round and the next. If Judge returns, aggravates the calf and has to be replaced, he would be unavailable for a potential ALCS.
That rule raises the stakes of activating him before the Yankees know how much he can safely handle.
It also affects Boone’s roster. New York carried 10 pitchers and 16 position players against Boston. A best-of-five series could require another arm, and carrying both Judge and Giancarlo Stanton as limited players would reduce flexibility.
Judge’s bat has progressed faster than his legs
Judge’s hitting work accelerated throughout the week. He faced live pitching at Yankee Stadium, took additional at-bats in Somerset and hit again Thursday before Friday’s work in Tampa.
Running remains the larger unknown. Boone said Friday that Judge had started running but could not confirm that he had run the bases. Judge then took batting practice at the Trop without doing defensive work on the field.
That distinction matters because Judge has said he wants to return as an outfielder, not merely as a designated hitter. Tropicana Field’s turf makes Games 1 and 2 a particularly difficult place to test that progression.
Yankees can buy Judge time without shutting the door
The Yankees do not have to decide Saturday whether Judge can be a full player for the entire series. They only have to decide whether he can provide enough value at some point to justify one of 26 roster spots.
Their sweep of Boston gives Boone evidence that the lineup can function while Judge builds toward game speed. Tampa Bay has announced Rasmussen for Game 1 but has not finalized every starter behind him, so the Yankees cannot simply construct the roster around an assumed all-right-handed rotation.
Judge made his view clear after the Wild Card sweep. His focus was on the club rather than his absence.
“I’m wearing a Yankees uniform, I’ve got NY on my chest. When the Yankees win, we all win,” Judge said.
The Yankees must submit their ALDS roster by 10 a.m. ET Saturday. If Judge’s name is on it, that still may not mean his return begins with the first pitch.
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