NEW YORK — Aaron Judge told ESPN’s Jorge Castillo on Wednesday that he intends to be ready for Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium next Tuesday.
One day earlier, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he does not expect to have Judge for the series, though he did not rule it out.
Judge, 34, confirmed he received an injection Monday. He was still waiting on clearance to resume any activity involving the leg when he spoke with ESPN.
“That’s what the plan is,” Judge said. “Try to get my body ready so I’m ready to go.”
The Yankees placed Judge on the injured list Saturday with a right calf strain, ending his regular season. He later specified that the strain is in the soleus muscle, which he said is essential for running and hitting.
Judge said he suffered the injury Sept. 16 in a 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins. It was his seventh game back after he missed more than three months with a fractured rib. He and the club were initially hopeful it was minor, but an MRI on Thursday revealed the strain.
Aaron Boone Plans Without Aaron Judge For Wild Card Series
Boone did not rule Judge out when he met with reporters Tuesday. He said the Yankees do not expect to have him available for the best-of-three series.
“We’re planning on him not being a part of that,” Boone said.
The Yankees have not made Judge’s prognosis clear publicly. Judge said he has had discussions with decision-makers in the organization about it.
“We’ve done a lot of talks, but I can’t control what people say,” Judge explained. “So you’ll have to talk to them about that.”
Game 1 is Tuesday, and the Yankees have not announced their wild-card roster. Judge said he did not know whether he would be on it.
“I don’t make the roster,” Judge said. “I’ve got no idea.”
Aaron Judge’s Numbers Since Returning From A Fractured Rib
Judge came back from the fractured rib without a rehab assignment. In 24 plate appearances before the calf strain, he went 4-for-23 with 1 home run, 1 walk, and 13 strikeouts.
He batted .241 with 18 home runs and an .871 OPS in 66 games this season. That total includes more than a month he played with the fractured rib, until late May.
The Yankees went 41-25 and averaged 5.12 runs with Judge in the lineup. Entering Wednesday, they were 49-42 and averaging 4.15 runs without him.
“We’ve got games to win,” Judge said. “I’m getting paid to play games for the New York Yankees, so I’ll get back as soon as I can.”
New York will likely face the Boston Red Sox in the wild-card series for the second consecutive postseason. The Yankees knocked Boston out in three games last October with Judge in the lineup.
