Yankees don't expect Aaron Judge (calf) back for wild card - ESPN

NEW YORK — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he does not expect to have Aaron Judge available for the Wild Card series next week, though he did not completely rule out the star right fielder recovering from his calf strain in time to play.

«We're planning on him not being a part of that,» Boone said Tuesday before the Yankees hosted the Tampa Bay Rays for a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium.

Judge was placed on the injured list with a right calf strain Friday, two days after exiting a game against the Minnesota Twins with the injury. Judge and the team declined to specify the severity of the injury through the weekend. On Tuesday, Boone labeled it a «moderate grade» strain. He said Judge received a PPP injection Monday and will avoid physical activity over the «next couple days.»

«You hear all the time with injuries, we get ranges,» Boone said. «Two to four weeks, four to six, all these things. There are ranges for a reason, and we're at a point in the year where obviously we push it a little bit if that was in play. But that's a week away so I'm not expecting it, but I'm not ruling it out either.»

Judge, 34, sustained the injury in his seventh game back after missing more than three months with a fractured rib. The three-time MVP returned without going on a rehab assignment and went 4-for-23 with 13 strikeouts, one walk, and one home run in 24 plate appearances. He will likely finish his injury-plagued campaign with a .241 batting average, 18 home runs and an .871 OPS in just 66 games after two historic MVP seasons.

The Yankees are 41-25 in games Judge plays this season. They're 49-41 in games he doesn't play after a 2-0 win in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader behind eight scoreless innings from Carlos Rodón.

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