Yankees correctly leave Aaron Judge off ALDS roster

The New York Yankees will be without Aaron Judge for their ALDS series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Multiple sources reported Saturday that, despite taking batting practice on Friday, Judge would not make the playoff roster.

The recovery and roster calculus really made it an easier decision than it seemed, even with Judge looking notably better in batting practice. Moving Ben Rice out of the DH spot really isn’t an option because the Yankees need Luis Garcia Jr.’s bat at first base. Given the turf at Tropicana Field and Judge dealing with a calf strain, it’s unlikely he would have played the field if he made the roster. He’d have been locked in as the designated hitter. This would effectively bench Garcia and his 30 regular season home runs along with known lefty-masher Paul Goldschmidt.

This left manager Aaron Boone with two choices: shuffle the lineup and risk serious injury with Aaron Judge, or run it back with the crew that smashed the Red Sox in the Wild Card round? Some consideration later, it looks like Boone made the right choice.

So what does this mean for the Yankees-Rays ALDS? Well, nothing new, really. Expect the same lineup with Garcia and Goldschmidt platooning first base and an outfield split of Trent Grisham and Heliot Ramos. Stanton is probably the big pinch-hit bat off the bench in a big spot, likely against left-handed pitching.

The fact of the matter is as much as we’d love Aaron Judge to return for a big playoff run after a season lost to injuries? It’s just too risky. He has not run the bases or played the field in two weeks, and calf strains in general take at least four. He’s more likely to play in the World Series at this point, should New York advance that far.

Moreover, if the Rays eliminate the Yankees, it won’t be because Judge wasn’t available. He’s only a .249 career hitter against the Rays, and bats a paltry .229 at the Trop.

Rather, the Rays eliminating the Yankees will likely be for one reason. New York’s powerful lineup fell flat and just didn’t show up when it mattered. Nothing more, nothing less. Let’s see which version takes the field later.

Game 1 is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET on TBS and Tru TV. The ALDS may also be streamed on HBO Max.