Aaron Judge will not play for the New York Yankees in their playoff series against the Boston Red Sox after being left off the Wild Card roster.
The star outfielder was omitted from the active roster for the best-of-three series starting Tuesday night in the Bronx. However, New York manager Aaron Boone received a major boost with the inclusion of veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton.
The Wild Card round opens Major League Baseball's postseason, with the winner advancing to the American League Division Series. The high-stakes clash pits two of baseball's oldest rivals against each other in a short series where every roster spot is critical.
Judge has been sidelined since September 16 due to a strained right calf. Although the 34-year-old team captain took part in batting practice on the field on Monday, team officials determined he was not ready to face Boston. Instead, Judge is focusing on returning for the next round if the Yankees advance to the American League Division Series.
The setback comes after a turbulent and injury-ravaged campaign for the three-time American League Most Valuable Player. Judge received a platelet-poor plasma injection on September 21 to promote healing in his right calf. Platelet-poor plasma therapy is a medical procedure used to treat soft tissue injuries through concentrated blood injections.
Earlier in the year, Judge missed over three months with a fractured rib that kept him out from May 31 to September 8. He managed to play in only seven games before suffering the calf strain. As a result of these physical issues, Judge's historic offensive production over the last four seasons was severely limited in 2026, as he played just 66 games, hitting 18 home runs and driving in 41 runs.
Red Sox Roster Moves and Pitching Decisions
The Red Sox have also finalized their playoff roster, making a major addition by moving ace Garrett Crochet off the 60-day injured list. The left-hander spent a full year battling shoulder inflammation and a low-grade left lat strain.
Crochet enjoyed a breakout season in 2025 as a starting pitcher, earning an All-Star selection and signing a six-year contract extension worth 170 million dollars. However, the former All-Star may be relegated to bullpen duties for manager Chad Tracy's patchwork playoff roster.
Tracy addressed reporters regarding how Crochet will be utilized during the Wild Card series. "If we're able to activate Garrett and we decide to do that, obviously he's available, right?" Tracy said. "Beyond that, if you were to use him, the availability, whether that's the next day or for another game in the series, it's still going to be contingent on us continuing to evaluate him."
The Boston manager emphasized that Crochet's physical condition will be monitored continuously throughout the series. "We know where he's at," Tracy added. "We know he's worked very hard to get everything back strong the way it needs to be, but we're still going to be evaluating him daily to see where he's at."
Boston Injuries and Absence of Key Performers
The Red Sox roster also includes Willson Contreras, the slugging first baseman who has been battling a hand issue and recently admitted he couldn't swing without feeling pain. He got two at-bats in Sunday's loss to the Chicago Cubs in Tampa, but struck out and failed to reach base.
Contreras is a veteran catcher and first baseman known for his power hitting in Major League Baseball. His inclusion despite ongoing physical discomfort highlights the roster decisions facing Boston as they enter postseason play.
Crucially, Boston is without Mickey Gasper, the journeyman minor leaguer from New Hampshire who enjoyed a breakout season with the Red Sox in 2026. Gasper was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a biceps strain that could prevent his return this season.
Gasper posted a gargantuan 1.08 OPS, measuring on-base percentage plus slugging percentage, over the second half of the 2026 season. For comparison, Houston's Yordan Alvarez led the majors with a 1.033 OPS for the entire 2026 campaign, while no other player cracked 1.000.
Meanwhile, right-handed reliever Tyron Guerrero was placed on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain. Like Gasper, Guerrero also enjoyed a breakout season in 2026, posting a 3.10 earned run average while allowing just 1.107 walks and hits per inning.
Historic Rivalry and Game 1 Matchup
This marks the eighth time the Red Sox and Yankees have met in the postseason, beginning with the famed 1978 tiebreaker that New York won on the back of Bucky Dent's late three-run homer at Fenway Park.
When playoff expansion allowed for more playoff battles between the two old rivals, the Yankees would beat the Sox in both the 1999 and 2003 American League Championship Series. The 2003 series ended on current New York manager Aaron Boone's historic walk-off home run.
Boston famously bounced back against the Yankees in 2004, overcoming a historic 3-0 American League Championship Series deficit to advance to the Fall Classic and win the club's first World Series since 1918. That victory ended an 86-year championship drought for the franchise.
Since then, the Red Sox are 2-1 against the Yankees in the playoffs, winning the 2018 American League Division Series and the 2021 Wild Card before falling to the Bombers in three games last season.
Tuesday's first pitch is scheduled for 8pm in the Bronx, where Walpole, Massachusetts native Cam Schlittler will pitch for the Yankees against Red Sox southpaw Payton Tolle.
