The MLB postseason is here, and on Tuesday night, the Wild Card Series will begin for eight teams.
As expected, the primetime slot will feature one of the biggest rivalries in baseball when the New York Yankees host the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
It’ll be a best-of-three series, with each game played across the next three days and a potential Game 3 coming Thursday if necessary.
Yankees Answer Biggest Aaron Judge Question
Entering the series, the biggest question surrounding the Yankees was whether superstar Aaron Judge would make the 26-man roster as he continues to rehab a moderate calf strain.
On Tuesday morning, with teams required to submit their final rosters by 10 a.m. ET, the Yankees finally answered that question regarding Judge’s status.
Judge will not appear in the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox. Despite making a last-second push to prove to manager Aaron Boone and the medical staff that he wanted to play, the Yankees will prepare him for a potential return in the ALDS if they advance past Boston.
Jack Curry of YES Network first reported the news.
Aaron Judge will NOT be on the Yankees’ wild card roster.
— JackCurryYES (@JackCurryYES) September 29, 2026
Curry added that he believed Judge would not make the roster after “reading the tea leaves” around the Yankees over the last few days and watching what Judge has and hasn’t done during his injury recovery.
“From reading the tea leaves around the Yankees about what Judge has done and hasn’t done and what kind of injury he is dealing with, I expected that he wouldn’t be on the roster,” Curry said. “Fully understand Judge, the team’s leader, wanting to compete. But this is a prudent decision.”
Who Made the Roster?
The biggest name who did make the Yankees’ 26-man roster was slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who hasn’t played since April due to two different calf injuries.
He’ll likely serve as more of a pinch-hit bat, but his presence gives the Yankees a much-needed reinforcement in a series that could be a pitchers’ duel from both sides.
Outside of Stanton, the Yankees’ roster is as expected in terms of pitchers and hitters. The bulk of the team is who they’ve relied on down the stretch of the season, but Boone will still have some decisions to make when he sends out his lineup card Tuesday night and decides which nine players will start against Red Sox lefty Payton Tolle.
New York Yankees Announce Final Aaron Judge Decision Before Red Sox Series