The New York Yankees are set to begin a massive Wild Card Series on Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox in the Bronx.
Both teams will have to finalize their playoff rosters for the first round by Tuesday morning.
This means Yankees manager Aaron Boone, along with the team’s medical staff, will have to determine whether several players currently on the IL are healthy enough to activate and add to the 26-man roster.
Boone Provides Update on Giancarlo Stanton
On Monday, Boone spoke to the media and provided the latest updates on all of the injured players, including veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who has been on the IL since April 24 with a calf strain before ultimately straining his other calf while rehabbing.
That said, Stanton appears to be progressing in the right direction and feels fairly close to a potential return, even if he plays in what many expect to be a limited capacity.
Boone did reveal on Monday, though, that the Yankees are still mulling over whether to include Stanton on the Wild Card roster, and they’ll have to finalize that decision within the next 24 hours or so.
Via Chris Kirschner of The Athletic: “Aaron Boone said they haven’t decided if Giancarlo Stanton will be on the wild card roster yet.”
Aaron Boone said they haven’t decided if Giancarlo Stanton will be on the wild card roster yet.
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) September 28, 2026
Other Injury Updates for Yankees
The other two notable names for the Yankees who still don’t have a firm update on their exact status are superstar Aaron Judge and fellow outfielder Trent Grisham.
Both still have a chance to make the roster, as Boone mentioned Monday. However, he made it clear that he’ll listen to the trainers and medical staff when making those decisions.
That obviously comes after Judge said last week that he wants to play, despite Boone also saying he didn’t think Judge would be ready to go.
Whether the Yankees activate all three players or not, they can submit an entirely new 26-man roster for the ALDS if they advance past the Red Sox. If they don’t, none of that will matter, and the decision-making process over who’s on the roster and who isn’t could certainly become a topic of debate.
New York Yankees Announce Giancarlo Stanton Update Before Red Sox Series