Barring an unexpected three-way tie scenario, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will meet for a Wild Card rematch in the Bronx. The Red Sox lost in three games last year, and a report from September 22 made it sound like they would have an easier time getting their revenge this go-round.
Yankees captain Aaron Judge left their September 16 with a calf issue that was later diagnosed as a moderate strain. New York's manager, Aaron Boone, said on September 22 that the Yankees would not expect to have him available for the upcoming Wild Card series against Boston.
But Judge took objection to that. The slugger told Jorge Castillo of ESPN and other reporters that he hopes to be available for the Wild Card round. He also disagreed with Boone's characterization of his calf issue as a "moderate" strain.
"Everybody's moderate is a little different," Judge said. "...So, I don't know why he used those words. But, like I said, I'm trying to get back as soon as I can."
Aaron Judge and Aaron Boone disagree about injury status ahead of Red Sox-Yankees Wild Card matchup
Public disputes with a manager are never a good look, but especially with the postseason so close. The Yankees would ideally like to look like a cohesive, united front as a potential playoff run looms. If they're disjointed, the Red Sox could exploit that to pull off a series win.
Judge could be insistent on playing in the postseason even if his calf strain is moderate because he's already been sidelined for so long this year. He was on the injured list from June 7-September 2 with a rib stress fracture and New York played only decent baseball in his absence. Boston closed in on the 15-game lead it once had and the Yankees posted a .681 OPS while Judge was absent, the 27th-worst in the league in that time.
Even when Judge has played, he hasn't performed up to his usual standard. He has hit 18 homers in 66 games, which is over a 44 home run pace in a full 162 game season. But his slash line has decreased significantly (in an admittedly small sample size of games) to .241/.360/.511 from .331/.457/.688 last season.
Judge is also not a strong playoff performer compared to his regular season output (.236/.346/.476 slash line, eight doubles, 17 home runs and 91 strikeouts over 65 postseason games), but he's still one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball. Even with a sore calf, Judge can change games and issue crushing losses in one swing.
The Red Sox will be lucky if Judge isn't able to play in the Wild Card series, and they'll be luckier if his disagreement with Boone is a sticking point. Judge seems confident he'll be able to return, though, so the Sox will have to wait and see what the Yankees decide about his playing time in the coming days.
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