Aaron Judge's comments on his latest injury will concern Yankees fans

New York Yankees Aaron Judge. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Aaron Judge's comments on his latest injury will concern Yankees fans

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Sep 19, 2026 7:45 PM ET

Injuries have been a major issue for the New York Yankees all season, and they are not really getting any better as the playoffs rapidly approach.

Aaron Judge, the back-to-back American League MVP, is on the IL (again) with a calf strain and is likely to miss the remainder of the regular season.

But neither he nor the Yankees have an update as to what the timeline beyond that is.

Yankees' Aaron Judge has no timeline for return

Judge told reporters in New York on Saturday that the strain is related to the soleus muscle, but that he did not know what grade the strain actually is.

Aaron Judge said his right calf strain is in the soleus muscle. He wouldn’t say what grade strain the MRI revealed.

“I'd like to be back by the postseason. That's definitely the plan. I got really no answers for you on any timeline or anything like that.”
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) September 19, 2026

Manager Aaron Boone also said he did not know what grade it is, nor did he ask the team's medical staff.

The only potential timeline that either person seemed willing to give was Judge saying that he would like to be back by the postseason.

To recap, Aaron Judge and Aaron Boone are saying that they don't know the grade of the strain suffered by the back-to-back MVP. #Yankees https://t.co/AFVVF9GLGR
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) September 19, 2026

In recent years, an injury to Judge would be a completely devastating blow to the Yankees' chances, especially when added to the absence of Giancarlo Stanton. But the Yankees have done a significantly better job navigating that this season and have managed to stay afloat without their best hitter.

Judge has been limited to just 66 games this season, hitting 18 home runs with an .871 OPS.

The other thing that potentially helps the Yankees, with or without Judge, is that there is no dominant team in the American League that stands above everybody else.

He has not been "MVP Judge" this season, but he is still the most feared hitter in their lineup and a bat they will need if they are going to make a serious run at the World Series.

They simply do not know when he will return to the lineup. Or if it will be too late this season.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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