The New York Yankees kept slugger Aaron Judge off the ALDS roster as he continues to rehab from a calf injury, but an insider revealed it was a close call on whether the play him or not.
Judge has been out since mid-September, going down just days after returning from a rib injury that kept him out for much of the summer. The team announced on Saturday that Judge would not be on the roster for their playoff showdown against the Tampa Bay Rays, though ESPN insider Jeff Passan revealed that he could return quickly if the Yankees should advance.
Aaron Judge Could Return for Start of ALCS
In a report before the Yankees announced the roster decision on Judge, Passan revealed that there was some internal debate over whether to play him or let him heal for another week.
“Some in the organization want him to play,” Passan reported on Friday. “Others, wary of him further aggravating the injury and imperiling him for the remainder of the postseason, would prefer to wait another week. Further complicating matters is the likelihood that Judge could be resigned to designated hitter duties, potentially taking at-bats from Luis Garcia Jr.”
That timeline would see Judge potentially return just in time for the end of the NLDS. The Yankees and Rays are scheduled to play Game 5, if necessary, on Saturday, Oct. 10.
The Yankees would face a challenge in getting past their division rival, with the Rays winning seven of the team’s 13 games this season — including a 5-2 record at Tropicana Field, where they will play three ALDS games if necessary.
Aaron Judge Getting Close to Return
As New York Post reporter Greg Joyce noted, the Yankees appeared close to getting Judge back for the series. He was able to take batting practice the day before the start of the series, but fell just short of the benchmarks needed to play in the ALDS.
“Judge took batting practice at Tropicana Field on Friday and faced live pitching on at least three of the last five days, in an attempt to get back in time to help the Yankees take on the Rays,” Joyce reported.
Yankees Insider Reveals Aaron Judge Injury Return Prediction