NEW YORK – It has been four days since Aaron Judge said it was “definitely the plan” to return in time for the postseason. While the Yankees are planning as though he might not be available, the captain’s mindset has not shifted.
Judge reiterated on Wednesday that he intends to be ready for Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series, which is scheduled to begin Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
“The Bronx is a magical place in October,” Judge said. “I don’t want to miss out on that opportunity.”
Asked about Judge’s status before Wednesday’s game, manager Aaron Boone said that “the process has started and is ongoing,” noting that the club’s training staff is working to get Judge back on the field “as quickly as possible.”
Speaking after the Yankees’ 9-2 win over the Rays, Boone said he is “not ruling anything out.”
“We’ve got days away until that,” Boone said. “Not that I’m necessarily expecting that one way or the other, but we’re going to listen to the body and see how he heals. If he’s in a position to [play], obviously we’re going to want him. So no, I haven’t ruled anything out.”
On Tuesday, Boone said Judge has a “moderate grade” right calf strain. Judge expressed displeasure with Boone for revealing that information, saying, “I don’t know why he used those words.”
“Boonie is my guy. I’ve always got his back,” Judge said. “I know he makes the right decisions. Obviously as a player, you don’t want to hear that, but that’s out of my control. I’ve got to come back and be ready to go, and that’s what I’m focused on right now.”
Judge was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Thursday. He received a platelet-poor plasma (PPP) injection in his right calf during Monday’s off-day and will have limited activities for the next several days.
“We’re doing everything in our power to speed this process up,” Judge said. “If it happened in May, maybe the timeline is a little different.”
During the club’s weekend series in Phoenix, Judge and Boone were vague about the severity of the injury, which Judge sustained during the club’s series last week against the Twins. Judge revealed the strain is in the soleus muscle of his right calf, which he said “is a little more crucial with running and hitting.”
“I’ve dealt with strains before and kind of played through them, but this was kind of in a different spot where it made it a little bit more difficult,” Judge said.
Judge said that he intends to play right field upon his return.
“I want to come back and be ready to play the field because I think that gives us the best lineup,” Judge said. “I’m a right fielder. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Generally, a Grade 2 calf strain takes at least three weeks for recovery.
“Everybody’s ‘moderate’ is a little different,” Judge said. “I think your moderate is a little different than my moderate.”
There is some validity to the suggestion of Judge’s higher-than-average pain tolerance, which he has exhibited numerous times. For example, he played through the end of the 2019 season with a fractured rib and a partially collapsed lung that was not diagnosed for months.
This year, Judge missed most of the summer with a fractured right rib, believed to have been sustained on April 26 in Houston. He played with the injury before landing on the injured list in early June.
Activated in September without a Minor League rehab assignment, Judge played just seven games after his reinstatement, going 4-for-23 (.174) with one homer.
Overall, Judge slashed .241/.360/.511 with 18 homers and 41 RBIs in 66 games this season. He confirmed that he won’t play in the upcoming set against the Orioles, but the Wild Card Series might be a different story.
“My goal is to come back as soon as I can,” Judge said. “If you ask me if I’m going to be back, I’m going to tell you, ‘Yeah.’ I’m doing everything I can every single day I show up here to get back and be ready to go.”