NEW YORK — The Yankees spent most of September watching their margin for error shrink. Aaron Judge returned from a major rib injury only to land back on the injured list with a right calf strain. The Rays took the AL East at Yankee Stadium. Clarke Schmidt was ruled out of the Wild Card Series, Fernando Cruz remained unavailable, and New York reached the final weekend still unsure whether Giancarlo Stanton, Trent Grisham or Ryan Weathers could help when October begins.
Friday did not erase any of that. New York was routed 10-2 by Baltimore in the first game of a doubleheader before recovering for a 6-3 win in the nightcap at Yankee Stadium. The split pushed the Yankees to 93-68 with one regular-season game remaining, while Boston swept a doubleheader from the Cubs. The first result in Boston made the long-anticipated matchup official: the Yankees and Red Sox will meet again in the American League Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday.
Every game in the best-of-three series will be played in the Bronx. New York won the regular-season matchup 7-6, although Boston outscored the Yankees overall. The rivalry also carries a fresh October memory. A year ago, the Yankees survived Boston in three games after Cam Schlittler delivered eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts in the deciding game, turning his postseason debut into one of the defining performances of New York’s run.
The Yankees enter the rematch without the division title they wanted and with Judge still a major question. Boone said earlier this week that the club was preparing as though its captain would not be available. At the same time, New York has enough starting-pitching depth to choose among Schlittler, Max Fried and Gerrit Cole for the first two games, while Boone and the front office may wait until Monday night to finalize the 26-man roster.
Yankees suddenly have more roster options than expected
The Yankees still cannot count on Judge, but the rest of the injured group has moved in a better direction.
Trent Grisham hit on the field Thursday and said he expected to be ready to return. Stanton has taken live at-bats, run the bases and homered during his work at Double-A Somerset. Boone said both were trending well, although Stanton would likely be considered mainly as a pinch-hitting option.
Weathers added another possibility Friday. The left-hander faced hitters for the first time since suffering a forearm flexor strain and reached 96 mph. The Yankees have not committed to carrying him, but a healthy Weathers would add another multi-inning option to a bullpen missing Schmidt and Cruz.
Boston’s lineup enters October with real uncertainty
Boston is carrying a late offensive downturn, uncertainty around Willson Contreras and a new injury to Mickey Gasper. At the same time, Grisham, Stanton and Weathers have all made enough progress to remain in the Yankees’ Wild Card discussion.
Contreras has not played since he was hit on the right hand Sept. 17. X-rays and a CT scan showed no fracture, but he acknowledged Thursday that he still could not swing a bat without pain. He entered the weekend hitting .276 with 27 home runs, 81 RBIs and a .905 OPS.
“I’m working hard with the trainers, the hand is slowly getting better,” Contreras said. “But I haven’t been able to swing the last two days. I’ll be honest with the team. I know Tuesday is a really important game. It’s a really important series, and I’ll be completely honest with the team.”
Boston’s broader offensive trend also matters. Entering Friday, the Red Sox had scored only five runs over their previous five games while producing 12 extra-base hits. Since Sept. 4, they had averaged 2.67 runs per game.
Friday offered a warning against overstating the slump. Roman Anthony collected three extra-base hits in Boston’s 4-3 opener, and Wilyer Abreu delivered the decisive two-run double in a 2-0 nightcap victory.
But Gasper injured his right biceps while swinging in Game 1. Boston later described it as significant, and he is expected to miss the Wild Card Series. That leaves less protection if Contreras cannot return.
One strange season-series number changes the picture
Boston outscored New York 56-39 across 13 regular-season meetings. Yet the Yankees won seven of those games.
That 17-run gap is a useful reminder of how little aggregate scoring matters in a best-of-three. The Yankees need two wins, not to erase the regular-season margin.
Boone framed the series around execution rather than the opponent.
“I’m also real confident that if we play our game and pitch like we’re capable of, we got a good chance to move on,” Boone said.
The Yankees still have major questions. Boston just swept a doubleheader, and Judge remains uncertain. But the setup is no longer defined only by what New York is missing.
Boston is carrying its own injury issues, its offense has spent much of September searching for consistency, and the Yankees may recover multiple pieces before Tuesday. With the entire Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium, New York’s position looks stronger than it did only a few days ago.
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