The New York Yankees are 248-218 without Aaron Judge all-time. Probably that is why the captain skipped a minor league rehab assignment to join the Yankees. But his return was cut short; he lasted only 7 games. Now, with a calf strain and a playoff series looming, he and his manager are at odds.
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Eligible to be activated 10 days later, Judge wants to return to the lineup and play in the Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox. But skipper Aaron Boone’s wish to keep him out of the lineup is not sitting well with the captain. With the Yankees at a crossroads, a WFAN host has ripped into Judge.
“I think Aaron Judge is completely in the wrong about the way he’s handling this injury situation,” said WFAN host Tommy Lugauer on X.
“You have Judge going after Aaron Boone, saying he doesn’t like the fact that Boone talked about the strain in the word that he used, which was moderate. He didn’t like the verbiage. I think Aaron Judge is coming off as very selfish and very sensitive in this whole thing, and he’s creating unnecessary drama.”
After missing 84 games due to a stress fracture in his right rib, Judge returned to the lineup without a minor league rehab. The captain apparently did not want to waste at-bats. However, in the seven days he played, Judge batted .174 with 1 home run and 3 RBI.
His return to the plate was not as smooth as he or the Yankees hoped. Buck Showalter also questioned his decision.
“But when the player association made it where you didn’t have to go on rehab, I’d like to know the thought behind that,” said Showalter.
Now, with a calf strain, manager Aaron Boone does not want him to play in the Wild Card Series. Even the platelet-poor plasma injection Judge took did not change the manager’s mind. But this doesn’t mean the skipper wants to snub his captain of anything.
The team has determined that Judge needs adequate healing time, around 3-6 weeks, before resuming baseball activities.
Boone dubbed Judge’s calf strain “moderate” and thinks the captain won’t be ready by the time of Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. Instead his healthy roster can take charge.
Heliot Ramos, Cody Bellinger, Luis García Jr., Ben Rice, or the speedy utilityman José Caballero. Plus, they have dominant starting pitching.
Yankees starters have allowed two earned runs or fewer in 40 of 51 starts since July 28, including one earned run or fewer in 33 of those starts, recording a 2.50 ERA during that stretch.
Next, they have the young names in the roster.
George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones crushed a Statcast-calculated combined 872 feet of home runs against Corbin Burnes – big-boy blasts of 424 and 448 feet, respectively, which suggests that they are only getting comfortable in The Show. Even Anthony Volpe performed better this season.
Not to forget the Yankees’ bullpen. It’s the team that matters now.
“Missing Judge, it hurts,” Bellinger said. “We all know he’s the best hitter in the game. For us in here, our mindset is, we’re going to have to find a way. I think the talent in this locker room speaks for itself. I’m fully confident that we have enough talent in here to go out, win, and beat anybody.”
Yet, the 34-year-old veteran has pushed back against his manager.
“We’ve done a lot of talks, but I can’t control what people say,” Baseball is Dead quoted Judge. “So you’ll have to talk to them about that.”
In the 2025 Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox, Judge went 4-for-11 while slashing .364/.417/.364 for the pinstripes.
The Bronx Bombers have suffered without Judge, with their batting average dropping to .228. Hence, his presence in the lineup, when healthy, can only help the Yankees.
In his decade-long career with the Yankees, the Commissioner’s Trophy has eluded Aaron Judge. The only time he reached the World Series was in 2024, but the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated them 4-1 to clinch the championship.
He is 34 and desperate to win the World Series ring. Ahead of the 2026 season, Judge frequently spoke about “unfinished business.”
Moreover, fans have often blamed Judge for not turning up in clutch moments.
He became a victim of fan outrage after the WBC final as well. During Team USA’s loss to Venezuela, Judge went hitless. Hence, his thirst for a championship is understandable, especially after eight postseasons without a ring since his debut.
CC Sabathia has sympathized with him, while warning him of the consequences.
“I absolutely understand his mindset,” Sabathia reportedly said. “He wants to get back for the guys. You feel like you owe that to the guys. But I would want him to be careful.”
This is not the first time Judge and Boone have been on opposing sides.
Back in August 2025, Judge had been limited to DH duties after returning from a right elbow flexor strain, when Boone told WFAN that Judge would not be throwing any more that season. But Judge, who said he had already progressed from struggling with a 60-foot toss to throwing from 250 feet, immediately pushed back.
The manager later acknowledged he had overestimated.
But a calf strain is a different injury than an elbow flexor strain.
As Lugauer pointed out in WFAN, if Aaron Judge pushes himself too much, he can aggravate his calf strain and risk injuring his Achilles. So Judge has to put his team above himself and focus on recovery.
While the Yankees maintain a commanding edge in total regular-season wins over more than a century, their postseason history is tightly deadlocked. The Bronx Bombers have a record of 1256-1043 against Boston all-time. But the Boston Red Sox are 5-3 vs the New York Yankees in the postseason between September 25, 2006, and September 25, 2026.
The Yankees beat the Red Sox last year in the Wild Card Series 2-1. If they can manage to pull off the same this year, Aaron Judge can get a chance to play later in the postseason.