The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox handily in the AL Wild Card round, but now set to face the No. 1 seed Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS, things are going to get alot more challenging.
Being able to get Aaron Judge back for this series would be huge. They handled the Red Sox, but the Rays are a step or two better. Judge’s presence could be the difference in a series win and not.
Unfortunately, according to Jack Curry of YES, the Yankees have made the decision not to include Judge on the ALDS roster. For the second straight postseason series, the Yankees will need to advance without Judge.
Yankees don’t include Aaron Judge on ALDS roster
“Aaron Judge will NOT be on the ALDS roster vs Rays,” Curry reported Saturday morning before Game 1 of the Rays’ series.
With Judge sidelined for another round of the postseason, the Yankees will need the combination of Spencer Jones, Heliot Ramos, Trent Grisham, and Cody Bellinger in the outfield to make up for Judge’s absence.
Giancarlo Stanton is once again on the Yankees’ postseason roster, like he was for the AL Wild Card round. But with this being a best-of-five series against the Rays, Stanton might actually get playing time.
The Yankees are going to keep Judge on the bench for now, as his calf strain continues to linger into the postseason after missing a huge chunk of the season for another injury issue.
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He does have a chance to come back at some point during the postseason. If they make the ALCS, he could be on the roster and be used as a pinch-hitter if he cannot be trusted to play a full game.
Even a partial role for Judge would be very worthwhile for the Yankees. But in the ALDS, they’re being cautious with Judge’s calf strain.
If they can get past the Rays, they’ll face either the Cleveland Guardians or Chicago White Sox in the ALCS for a chance to play in the World Series.
They have already proven they can win without Judge, but against the Rays and their strong pitching staff, that’s really going to be put to the test.
