Judge (calf) may not play in Wild Card round

The declaration comes just a few days after Judge was placed on the injured list with a right calf strain last weekend. It’s a notable statement considering Yankees manager Aaron Boone said earlier on Wednesday that he does not expect to have Judge available for the Wild Card Series without ruling him out entirely. The 34-year-old franchise cornerstone’s status for next week’s Wild Card Series, which is a near-lock to be against the division-rival Red Sox, will be the biggest storyline in baseball leading into the postseason. It goes without saying that Judge will probably be on New York’s roster as a DH option for the three-game series, but it’s fair to question how ready he’ll be from a physical standpoint.

And when might he play again? “I’d like to be back by the postseason,” he said. “That’s definitely the plan. I got really no answers for you on any timeline or anything like that.” Good luck trying to figure out exactly what that means. Judge will be eligible to come off the 10-day injured list on the final day of the regular season.

Judge will be eligible to return for the final game of the regular season next Sunday, but it remains unclear if he’ll be ready to return at that time. The Yankees’ priority will be to get him ready to go for the start of the postseason.

Judge said afterwards that he has no plans to undergo imaging. It’s worth noting that New York’s next three games are on the road at Chase Field in Arizona, which is an artificial turf surface. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Judge receive some additional time off for precautionary reasons after being lifted for a pinch-hitter during the sixth inning of Wednesday’s series finale at Target Field. He finished 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts. It sounds like his early departure was out of an abundance of caution since the Yankees can’t afford to take any chances with his availability for the postseason. The lone encouraging takeaway is that the issue doesn’t appear to be related to his previous rib issue. There should be additional clarity on his status leading into Friday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks.

Heliot Ramos gets the nod in right field after Judge crushed his first home run since returning from the injured list, a three-run shot off Twins lefty reliever A.J. Minter, during Monday’s series opener at Target Field. The Yankees have been extremely cautious with his workload following a three-month absence recovering from a fracture in his ribs. The 34-year-old fantasy superstar figures to return for Wednesday’s series finale.

Judge’s home run was his 18th of the season and first extra-base hit in seven games since returning from the injured list without going on a rehab assignment. He hit a three-run shot off Twins reliever A.J. Minter in the eighth inning. While this is just one home run and not a hot streak, it’s only a matter of time before Judge gets going at the plate again.

Judge finds himself in right field for the fifth time in seven games since returning from the injured list last week. The 34-year-old generational talent has predictably gotten off to a slow start at the dish after skipping a rehab assignment altogether following a three-month absence, hitting .176 (3-for-17) with zero extra-base hits and nine strikeouts through five games. It’s only a matter of time before Judge gets back on track. He’ll attempt to do so against Twins righty Dean Kremer at Target Field on Monday night.

Judge receives a break from playing right field after starting three of four games there since coming back from the injured list earlier this week. The Yankees are going to be extremely cautious with his workload down the home stretch since he skipped a minor league rehab assignment entirely. The 34-year-old franchise icon has gone 3-for-10 at the dish, which is pretty impressive considering he missed nearly three months with a rib fracture.

The Yankees will take a cautious approach with the return of their slugger, as he grabs a seat after playing two games against the Rockies on Tuesday and Wednesday. There’s no cause for concern here as the Yankees were always expected to take it easy with Judge’s return.

Judge went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and played six innings in right field in his return from the IL last night. There’s yet to be an update on how he’s feeling today, but as of last night, it sounded like he could exit early again tonight and then probably sit Thursday.