Aaron Judge had not yet done any baseball-related activity as of Sunday morning, two days before Game 1 of the Yankees’ American League wild-card series against the Boston Red Sox, according to manager Aaron Boone.
The three-time MVP is working through a calf strain that has so far limited him to rehab work, plyometric exercises and treadmill sessions at Yankee Stadium. Boone said Judge has not yet progressed to hitting or running, the two activities considered most telling given the nature of his injury.
“So not a whole lot yet,” Boone said.
The Yankees must submit their 26-man roster for the wild-card series by Tuesday morning, and Boone said no final call on Judge has been made.
“Look, it’s Sunday,” Boone said. “We’ll get to Tuesday morning when we have to enter our [roster]. We’ll just see what we have, and along with the trainers and medical, we’ll make a decision.”
Earlier in the week, Boone said the team was not planning to include Judge on the wild-card roster, though he left the door open. Judge, the team’s captain, was reportedly unhappy with that stance and has maintained he intends to be available for the series.
Asked whether the Yankees might carry Judge even if he isn’t ready for Tuesday’s opener but could return later in the series, Boone said he had not yet discussed that scenario with the training staff.
“We’ll have those when we make the decision,” Boone said. “Those kind of things will be considered.”
Other Injured Players in the Mix
Judge is not the only player whose health is complicating the Yankees’ roster decisions. Giancarlo Stanton, Trent Grisham and Ryan Weathers are all working back from injuries as the team finalizes its group to face Boston.
Stanton has missed the last five months with three separate calf strains and would likely serve as a pinch hitter if included. Grisham, sidelined since early September with a hamstring strain, could start in center field against Red Sox right-hander Sonny Gray, a move that would shift Spencer Jones to right field and bench Heliot Ramos. Weathers, recovering from a left forearm flexor strain, would work as a one-inning reliever, giving the Yankees a power left-handed arm out of the bullpen they otherwise lack.
“Physically I’m ready to go,” Grisham said Sunday morning.
“I feel super healthy, so we’ll see how it shakes out,” Weathers said.
Weathers threw a 15-pitch live batting practice session on Friday against Grisham and Stanton. Boone said Weathers is “very much in play for this round,” with a final decision expected Monday.
“I like where he’s at,” Boone said. “I think he feels really healthy, looks really healthy.”
Stanton has continued hitting throughout his absence, but Boone said the team is weighing whether that is enough to trust him in a playoff setting.
“I feel like nobody knows themselves and their body as well as Big G does,” Boone said. “He’s always honest and he’s always real transparent about where he’s at. Also, you know the track record of success and trusting him in really difficult, tough spots to put an at-bat together. So we’ll see here and make those decisions sometime [Monday] probably.”
