The New York Yankees are headed to the MLB playoffs, but this is about the only thing going as planned. New York finds themselves six games back of the Tampa Bay Rays atop the AL East with one week to go before the postseason starts.
To make matters worse, things appear to be trending in the wrong direction for Aaron Judge. After being sidelined for much of the year with an injury, Judge is now dealing with a strained soleus muscle, putting his status for the postseason in doubt.
New York Post’s Jon Heyman painted a grim picture of Judge’s outlook noting that a best-case scenario could be the slugger pinch-hitting in key spots. As for the worst-case scenario, Judge is unable to recover in time for the MLB playoffs.
“Judge is getting inside treatment and aiming for a playoff return, but the tea leaves are working against him and them,” Heyman wrote in a September 20, story titled, “The sobering reality — and dreaded playoff inevitability — staring at Yankees with Rays coming to town.”
“The Yankees can’t or won’t say what grade Judge’s strain is, which is bad enough. But perhaps even worse, they did identify the tear being in the soleus muscle, which is just above the Achilles, a tricky spot,” Heyman added.
“The Yankees aren’t ruling out an October miracle for Judge. But maybe the best they could hope for is some heroic pinch-hitting spots, a la Kirk Gibson. They might take that now.”
Will Yankees Slugger Aaron Judge Play During the MLB Playoffs Amid New Injury?
The Yankees have been vague about Judge’s potential return timeline. Yankees manager Aaron Boone left the door open for a potential return but does not sound incredibly optimistic.
“If we can get him back in some form or fashion, great. But that’s for another day,” Boone said of Judge, per Heyman.
Aaron Judge’s Injury: Yankees Star Leaving Door Open for Return During MLB Playoffs
As for Judge, the star maintains his plan is to return for the MLB playoffs which start on Tuesday, September 29. Time will tell if this is realistic for the slugger.
“I’d like to be back by the postseason,” Judge noted, per MLB.com. “That’s definitely the plan. [It’s the] 10-day IL, so the 10th day is probably the last game of the season.
“So we’ll see. I’ve got really no answers for you on any timeline or anything like that.”
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden outlined a general return timeline for Judge’s type of injury.
“Aaron Judge calf injury is a soleus strain which is a strain of the deeper calf muscle underneath the gastrocnemius,” Bowden detailed in a September 20, message on X.
“Typical recovery is 2-6 weeks. Soleus strains often times linger because it’s the muscle that works every time you stand/walk etc. Yanks have not shared the grade.”
Yankees Dealt Unfortunate News on Aaron Judge Just 1 Week Before MLB Playoffs