Not even the bubbly and suds that dripped down his 6-foot-7 frame late Wednesday emboldened Aaron Judge enough to make any proclamations about his chances of being on the Yankees ALDS roster.
But his teammates are at least giving him a chance.
On a day that began with Judge going to Somerset to get another round of live at-bats and continue his running progression as he rehabs a right calf strain, the Yankees finished off a sweep of the Red Sox with a 9-2 win in Game 2 of the AL wild-card series in The Bronx.
“Saturday’s a long ways away,” Judge said, referring to Game 1 of the ALDS against the Rays. “But I’m doing everything I can, all morning, night, during the game, everything to prepare myself to be ready to go. Yeah, I want to be in there. But we’ll see what happens.”
Wednesday marked two weeks since Judge sustained the calf injury, and while he tried to defy the odds and make a late push to be on the roster for the wild-card series, the Yankees ultimately left him off because he was not ready.
Whether he can be ready to go by Saturday remains to be seen, especially with the complicating factor of having to play on the turf at Tropicana Field, which can be troublesome for players dealing with soft-tissue leg injuries.
“We just finished the wild-card [series]. We’ll get into that as we get closer,” Judge said amid the champagne celebration. “I got nothing for you on that yet, but my job is to continue to get ready. That’s what I’ve been doing every day.”
Aaron Judge looks on from the dugout steps during the Yankees’ Game 1 blowout win over the Red Sox at the Stadium. Robert Sabo/New York Post
New York Yankees’ Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge celebrate in the clubhouse. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Judge’s around-the-clock treatment is apparently what kept him missing from Tuesday’s pregame player introductions ahead of Game 1. He arrived in the dugout by first pitch, and then Wednesday, pulled up a seat around the sixth inning to watch his teammates finish the win.
The three-time AL MVP said he did not run the bases Wednesday afternoon in Somerset, which is a hurdle he will likely have to clear to prove he can be a right fielder for the ALDS.
“I think it’s been encouraging that a couple nights ago [Monday] for the workout he was able to get out there for live BP,” manager Aaron Boone said before Game 2. “Again, that wasn’t just, he’s just going out for live BP. He had to check a lot of boxes for the trainers and the strength guys to say, ‘OK, you’re ready for that, you can go do that.’
Aaron Judge takes live BP when the Yankees held a workout a day before their AL wild card Series against the Red Sox. Robert Sabo for NY Post
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“So I feel like in the couple weeks since the injury, he’s made real strides and significant improvements. And hopefully we’re in a position to make another decision in a couple of days.”
It is possible the Yankees could carry Judge on their ALDS roster to serve as a DH, but even he has acknowledged that it would be best for the team if he can return as a right fielder because of the logjam at DH/first base involving Game 1 hero Ben Rice, Luis García Jr. and Paul Goldschmidt.
As it is, Boone had García on his bench to start Game 1 against Red Sox lefty Payton Tolle, with Rice as DH and Goldschmidt at first base.
Adding Judge into that mix would mean Rice starting at first base every game and relegating both García and Goldschmidt to pinch hitting.