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    Aaron Judge (calf) not on the Wild Card roster

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    NYY Right Fielder #99
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    Aaron Judge (calf) is not on the Yankees roster for the Wild Card round against the Red Sox.

    Despite Judge claiming that he was intending to play, it always seemed like a long shot. The 34-year-old has a calf strain that was expected to sideline him for 2-6 weeks, and he had not done any running in the days leading up to the announcement. Judge will continue to rehab and almost assuredly will be on the Yankees roster for the Divisional series, if they can get there.
Grant recaps energy from padres' win against Cubs
Mark Grant joins Not So Fast to recap the energy around the city of San Diego after the Padres' playoff series win against the Chicago Cubs.

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  • NYY Right Fielder #99
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    Boone added that the determination to leave Judge off the club’s AL Wild Card Series roster was made after meeting with trainers following a live batting practice session at Yankee Stadium on Monday. The 34-year-old franchise cornerstone told reporters last week that he was planning to be ready for the start of the postseason, but that always felt a bit unrealistic after he suffered a calf strain back on September 16. It sounds like there’s a decent chance that Judge returns for the AL Division Series, if New York manages to get past the Red Sox. There should be some additional clarity on his next steps later this week.
  • NYY Right Fielder #99
    He struck out against Ryan Weathers. Judge didn’t do any running during the live BP or afterwards. It seems like it would be quite the roll of the dice to put him on the Wild Card roster 13 days after he suffered a calf strain.
  • NYY Right Fielder #99
    This is obviously good news, but the bigger hurdle for Judge with a calf strain will be running. Especially the stop-start running when he leaves the batter’s box or takes off after being on base. He also claims that he intends to play the outfield, which will be another major test for his calf. As of now, Boone says that the team has not made a decision about whether or not to carry Judge on their roster for the Wild Card series against the Red Sox.
  • NYY Right Fielder #99
    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.
  • NYY Right Fielder #99
    Boone clarified that the team wouldn’t rule out the possibility that Judge plays, but he did mention that Judge got a PPP injection for his calf and will have no activity for the next few days after the injection. Boone confirmed that Judge has a “moderate” strain in the calf, but also said that the designation doesn’t matter. If Judge feels that he is able to play, then he will play. We may not know his availability for a Wild Card series until right before the series starts.
  • NYY Right Fielder #99
    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.
  • NYY Right Fielder #99
    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.
  • NYY Right Fielder #99
    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.
  • NYY Right Fielder #99
    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.
  • NYY Right Fielder #99
    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.

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  • CIN 2nd Baseman #15
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    Reds sent INF/OF Ivan Johnson outright to Triple-A Louisville.

    Johnson, 27, went 1-for-16 in 16 games with the Reds this year before finishing the season in the minors. He hit .247/.354/.424 with 11 homers and 15 steals in 73 games while mostly playing second base and left field for Louisville.
  • CLE Relief Pitcher #35
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    Colin Holderman, who was out for most of September with wrist inflammation, said he intends to undergo surgery and will miss the postseason.

    Holderman said the wrist has been an issue for him for four years. He was quite good this season anyway, posting a 2.73 ERA in 54 appearances before going down. He’s due about $2.5 million in arbitration, which could make him a trade candidate.
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    The A’s are moving on from hitting coach Chris Cron and quality control coach Marcus Jensen.

    The A’s previously fired pitching coach Scott Emerson in July. Cron had been with the A’s as a hitting coach since 2022. Jensen was part of the organization since 2007, becoming an assistant hitting coach in 2015 and the quality control coach in 2023.
  • CLE Starting Pitcher #77
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    The Guardians will go with Parker Messick in Game 1 and Gavin Williams in Game 2 against the White Sox.

    The team concluded the season with Williams pitching Saturday and Messick going Sunday, but the order will be reversed now. Vogt didn’t announce anything beyond Game 2. It’s the AL teams with an extra day off between Games 1 and 2 this year, so they’ll only need three starters and Messick would be able to come back and start Game 4 on four days’ rest.
  • ATL Relief Pitcher #58
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    Ray Kerr will be the opener for the Braves in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card against the Phillies.

    The plan is for Grant Holmes to operate as a bulk reliever, but it will be Kerr who opens the game. The left-hander pitched to a 1.47 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, and 11/2 K/BB ratio in 18 1/3 innings for the Braves this season. Lefties hit .174 off of him with just one extra-base hit in 26 batters faced, so his job will be to keep Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper from doing damage in the first inning.
  • MIN Center Fielder #25
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    Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said, “The plan calls for Byron Buxton to rehab his hip until Christmas.”

    Buxton underwent hip surgery on September 18th, so about three months of exclusive rehab makes sense. From that point on, he will begin baseball activities and start preparing for the season, if there is one. Buxton aggravated his hip injury in the middle of May and revealed later that his hip has been bothering him since 2021. He said doctors reassured him that his hip won’t be an issue for the rest of his career going forward, and he believes he will be ready for the start of spring training, but we’ll check back in after the new year to see how his rehab is progressing.
  • ATH Relief Pitcher #46
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    Athletic’s interim general manager Dan Feinstein said the team is open to moving Luis Medina back into the rotation next year.

    Feinstein said that the team spoke with Medina about “potentially creating a program for him this winter that will enable him to give more length. Whether it’s as a starter, or something we can figure out next spring.” Medina missed all of 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but was out of minor league options coming into 2026, so the team opted to keep him on the big league roster as a reliever. He posted a 3.08 ERA in 73 innings. Athletics manager Mark Kotsay noted that Medina would need to improve his 12.3 percent walk rate if he had any chance of earning a rotation spot, but he could be a pitcher to watch in spring training.
  • BOS Starting Pitcher #54
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    Sonny Gray indicated after Wednesday’s loss that he was disappointed to be pulled in the fifth inning and that he’ll consider retirement this winter.

    Gray seems to have plenty left in the tank as he approaches his 37th birthday in November, but it’s not the first time he’s hinted that he doesn’t see himself going the Justin Verlander route. He was also especially frustrated with the way his final start ended, suggesting that manager Chad Tracy should have trusted him to get more outs instead of pulling him in the fifth. “I don’t know what the future holds for me,” Gray said. “I do know that I walked off that mound with my chest back and my chin up, and I can definitely be proud that I left it all out there until the ball was taken out of my hands.” Gray will be eligible for free agency this winter, likely by opting out of his contract after the Red Sox pick up their portion of a $30 million option.
  • SD 1st Baseman #30
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    Gavin Sheets delivered a pinch-hit two-run homer in the fourth Wednesday as the Padres defeated the Cubs 4-1 to advance to the NLDS.

    The Padres will face the Brewers in the NLDS. Sheets didn’t start tonight because Austin Hays was 7-for-14 with two homers against Kevin Gausman in his career. However, right after Gausman was pulled in the fourth, Sheets was asked to hit against Daniel Palencia and turned around a 100.8-mph fastball. It was his second homer in seven career postseason games. Prior to Tuesday, he had the White Sox’s most recent postseason homer, taking Lance McCullers Jr. deep in the 2021 ALDS.
  • SD Starting Pitcher #27
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    Nick Pivetta was lifted after allowing one run in 3 1/3 innings Wednesday against the Cubs.

    Pivetta and Kevin Gausman both got 10 outs, but Pivetta allowed two fewer runs, mostly because of the bullpen support; Gausman’s one runner left on base came around to score after Daniel Palencia entered the game, but Bradgley Rodríguez stranded both runners he inherited. Pivetta figures to start again in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Brewers.