The New York Yankees will enter their American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays without their biggest star. Aaron Judge has officially been left off New York’s 26-man ALDS roster as he continues recovering from a right calf injury, dealing a significant blow to the Yankees before Game 1.
Aaron Judge will NOT be on the Yankees' ALDS roster, per @JackCurryYES pic.twitter.com/QePT3QTlUa
— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) October 3, 2026
The Rays already presented a difficult matchup for New York with Judge available. Now the Yankees will have to find a way to win a best-of-five MLB postseason series without the three-time American League MVP.
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Judge isn’t ready to return
Judge has been sidelined since Sept. 16 after suffering a moderate strain of the soleus muscle in his right calf. He also missed the entire Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox, although New York managed to advance with a dominant two-game sweep.
There had been optimism that Judge could return against Tampa Bay. He progressed to taking live at-bats and running on the field, but running the bases remained a major hurdle in his recovery. The Yankees ultimately decided against carrying him on the ALDS roster.
Judge appeared in only 66 regular-season games after also missing significant time with a fractured rib. He still hit 18 home runs with an .871 OPS, providing a reminder of the impact he can have whenever he is healthy.
Yankees face an even tougher challenge
New York proved it could win without Judge against Boston, outscoring the Red Sox 18-2 during its two-game Wild Card Series sweep. Tampa Bay, however, represents another challenge after winning the AL East and earning the No. 1 seed in the American League.
The Rays also went 55-26 at Tropicana Field during the regular season, where Games 1 and 2 of the series will be played.
Without Judge in the middle of the lineup, even more pressure will fall on the rest of New York’s offense to produce. The Yankees survived the Wild Card round without their captain, but beating Tampa Bay three times was already going to be difficult.
Now they will have to try to do it without their most dangerous hitter.
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