Aaron Judge pushes back after Brian Cashman finally dropped the hammer on reality of his ALDS absence

Just a day before the New York Yankees were set to take on the Tampa Bay Rays in the Division Series, fans were buzzing with frenzied speculation as clips of Aaron Judge taking batting practice were circulating online. If he could take a swing in the cage, surely he was healthy enough to DH, right? Well, Judge was ultimately kept off the roster and fans were left disappointed. Days later, Yankees GM Brian Cashman has finally addressed the situation and squashed that debate once and for all. 

According to Deesha Thosar of Fox Sports ahead of Game 3, Cashman acknowledged that “it was pretty impossible” for Judge to be healthy enough to ever suit up for the ALDS. Despite the Yankees captain providing fans a glimmer of hope that they’d see him in action, that sore calf was just not in good enough shape for Judge to play. 

“I know what he would like to do, but that's the warrior in him," Cashman said of Judge. "Physically he just couldn’t. It wasn't a choice.” 

Of course ... that's not quite the way Judge sees it. After the Yankees' elimination, Judge made it seem like much more of a push-and-pull, claiming his calf is currently "feeling great".

Although it was maybe a few months too late, the Yankees really were thinking about what’s best for Judge and his long-term health. Since injuring his ribs earlier this season, Judge has clawed and scraped his way back to being game ready. Unfortunately for the Yankees superstar, he likely pushed his comeback timeline a little too quickly in September, which may have cost him a chance to play in October. 

Deciding to forgo a rehab stint in the minor leagues, Judge jumped straight back into MLB action after missing over three months. But after playing in seven games for the Yankees in mid-September, Judge suffered a calf strain that shut him down for the remainder of the season and threatened his availability for the playoffs. 

Despite the false narrative that Judge crumbles in the postseason, the Yankees have sorely missed him this October. While his .822 career postseason OPS pales in comparison to his 1.020 career OPS in the regular season, Judge is more than capable of changing a game with one swing. One good swing is all these Yankees really needed during a tight ALDS where neither team had many distinguishing offensive moments.

Without Aaron Judge in the lineup, the Yankees have just not looked the same

Even without Judge in the lineup, the Yankees cruised to an easy victory against the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, scoring 18 runs in two games. That beatdown of their heated AL East rival may have convinced the Yankees that could've been just fine without Judge as they geared up to face the Rays in the ALDS. 

Through the first two games in the series, it was obvious that Judge’s absence proved to be more problematic this time around. After getting shutout by the Rays in Game 1, the Yankees mustered just two runs in Game 2. Both of those runs came off the bat of Ben Rice in the shape of two solo jacks. Not exactly a thriving offense that you’d expect from a team nicknamed the Bronx Bombers. The third game, while marginally better, was largely more of the same.

Since his debut in 2016, the Yankees have a 716-495 record with Judge in the lineup. That’s good for a .591 winning percentage. When he misses time, the Yankees fall to 249-219, dropping that winning percentage by nearly 60 points. Simply put, the Yankees become a middling ball club when Judge is out of the lineup. But you don’t have to check out win-loss records to know that much. 

It is also clear that Judge would most certainly be in the lineup in some capacity if he were physically able to be (though he'd like you to believe he was). But even at a time like the postseason, compensating for one injury can open the door for a whole other set of injuries that can linger for months. We’ve seen it happen to Judge this season. We don’t need to see it continue to happen to him again in 2027 and beyond. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow