Aaron Judge will not be on the New York Yankees’ roster for their best-of-three Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox that starts on Tuesday night in the Bronx.
But in a major boost for manager Aaron Boone, veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton has been included.
Judge has been sidelined since September 16 by a strained right calf. He participated in batting practice on the field Monday but has been deemed not ready to take on the Red Sox. Instead, he’s focusing on being ready for the next round should the Yankees reach the American League Divisional Series (ALDS).
A three-time AL MVP, the 34-year-old Judge had a platelet-poor plasma injection on September 21.
He was also sidelined by a fractured rib from May 31 to September 8 and played in just seven games before the latest issue in an injury-ravaged campaign. As a consequence of the injuries, Judge’s historic production over the last four seasons was slash in 2026 as he played just 66 games, hitting 18 home runs and driving in 41 runs on the season.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, finalized their Wild Card series roster with moving ace Garrett Crochet off the 60-day IL after a year battling shoulder inflammation and a low-grade left lat strain. Although he was a starter in 2025, when he had his breakout season and signed a six-year extension worth $170 million, the former All-Star may be relegated to bullpen duties for Chad Tracy’s patchwork playoff roster.
Aaron Judge will not be on the Yankees’ roster for their Wild Card series against the Red Sox
The Red Sox, meanwhile, finalized their Wild Card series roster with moving ace Garrett Crochet off the 60-day IL after a year battling shoulder inflammation
‘If we’re able to activate Garrett and we decide to do that, obviously he’s available, right?’ Boston manager Chad Tracy told reporters. ‘Beyond that, if you were to use him, the availability, whether that’s the next day or for another game in the series, it’s still going to be contingent on us continuing to evaluate him.
‘We know where he’s at. We know he’s worked very hard to get everything back strong the way it needs to be, but we’re still going to be evaluating him daily to see where he’s at.’
The Red Sox roster also includes Willson Contreras, the slugging first baseman who has been battling a hand issue and recently admitted he couldn’t swing without feeling pain. He got two at-bats in Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Cubs in Tampa, but struck out and failed to reach base.
Crucially, Boston is without Mickey Gasper, the journeyman minor leaguer from New Hampshire, who enjoyed a breakout season with the Red Sox in 2026. Gasper was placed on the 10-day IL due to a biceps strain that could prevent his return this season. He posted a gargantuan 1.08 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) over the second half of the 2026 season. For comparison, Houston’s Yordan Alvarez led the majors with a 1.033 OPS for the entire 2026 campaign, while no other player cracked 1.000.
Meanwhile, right-handed reliever Tyron Guerrero was placed on the 15-day IL with a shoulder strain. Like Gasper, Guerrero also enjoyed a breakout season in 2026, posting a 3.10 ERA while allowing just 1.107 walks and hits per inning.
The Red Sox roster also includes Willson Contreras, the slugging first baseman who has been battling a hand issue and recently admitted he couldn’t swing without feeling pain
This marks the eighth time the Red Sox and Yankees have met in the postseason, beginning with the famed 1978 tiebreaker that New York won on the back of Bucky Dent’s late three-run homer at Fenway Park.
When playoff expansion allowed for more playoff battles between the two old rivals, the Yankees would beat the Sox in both the 1999 and 2003 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the latter of which ended on current New York manager Aaron Boone’s historic walk-off home run.
Boston famously bounced back against the Yankees in 2004, overcoming a historic 3-0 ALCS deficit to advance to the Fall Classic and win the club’s first World Series since 1918.
Since then, the Red Sox are 2-1 against the Yankees in the playoffs, winning the 2018 ALDS and the 2021 Wild Card before falling to the Bombers in three games last season.
Tuesday’s first pitch is scheduled for 8pm in the Bronx, where Walpole, Massachusetts native Cam Schlittler will pitch for the Yankees against Red Sox southpaw Payton Tolle.
PART ONE: Every ugly detail of Tom and Gisele’s marriage… the secret letter stashed in a drawer… and her savage last three words
PART TWO: Why Tom Brady’s college teammates were convinced he was gay… until one uninhibited night proved the truth: Secrets from his years before fame – and existential crisis that drove him to the brink
