Yankees Plan for Wild Card Series Without Aaron Judge

The New York Yankees are preparing to begin the American League Wild Card Series without Aaron Judge, as the outfielder recovers from a moderate right-calf strain, manager Aaron Boone said. Boone has not ruled out a return, but said the short recovery window makes him unlikely to play when the series is scheduled to begin September 29. Judge, meanwhile, told ESPN his plan is to rehabilitate the injury and try to be ready for Tuesday’s opener. Judge was placed on the injured list after sustaining the strain against the Minnesota Twins. He received a platelet-poor plasma injection on Monday. Boone said Judge’s activity would initially be limited, mainly to running and jumping, and described the team’s approach as planning for Judge to be unavailable while keeping open the possibility that his recovery could progress faster than expected. The competing outlooks do not amount to a decision on Judge’s availability. The Yankees have not confirmed whether he will be medically cleared or included on the Wild Card roster. Boone cited recovery ranges of two to four weeks or four to six weeks for injuries, while a general estimate reported for a Grade 2 strain is four to eight weeks.