Aaron Judge has been out since mid-September after suffering a calf injury shortly after returning from a rib issue that cost him much of the summer.

Published on: Oct 4, 2026, 04:02:09 IST

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The New York Yankees are set to open their best-of-five American League Division Series (ALDS) matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday at Tropicana Field, but they will begin the series without Aaron Judge.

Why is Aaron Judge not playing?

The Yankees decided not to include their star slugger on the ALDS roster as he continues working his way back from a calf injury. The decision followed several days of rehabilitation work in which Judge attempted to show that he could be available to contribute during the postseason.

According to the New York Post’s Greg Joyce, the 34-year-old also faced live pitching Monday for the first time since suffering the injury and then continued his buildup with running drills and more batting practice.

Judge made final push to return

Judge continued his on-field work throughout the week. He took another round of live batting practice Wednesday before working out at the Yankees’ minor league complex in Tampa on Friday.

Later that day, he also stepped onto the field at Tropicana Field for batting practice. Despite the progress, the Yankees ultimately decided that Judge had not reached the point where he could safely return to game action.

The slugger has been sidelined since the middle of September, shortly after returning from a rib injury that had already forced him to miss a significant portion of the summer.

Aaron Judge’s return timeline

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported before the Yankees finalized their roster that there had been disagreement within the organization over whether Judge should be activated for the ALDS or given additional time to recover.

"Some in the organization want him to play," Passan reported.

"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,” the ESPN reporter added.

The Yankees' decision means Judge will have more time to recover before potentially returning later in the postseason. If the series reaches a decisive fifth game, the Yankees and Rays are scheduled to meet again on Saturday, Oct. 10.

Yankees face tough Rays test

The rest of New York’s ALDS roster is largely unchanged from the group used during the Wild Card Series. The Yankees added left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers while removing infielder Amed Rosario.

The Rays have the upper hand in the season series, taking seven of the 13 matchups against the Yankees. Tampa Bay was especially effective at home, posting a 5-2 record against New York at Tropicana Field.

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