Yankees lose Aaron Judge, but gain Giancarlo Stanton for AL wild-card series

NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees are losing a key piece and gaining another.   

Right fielder Aaron Judge will not be on the active roster for the American League wild-card series because he is still recovering from a right calf strain he suffered against the Twins on Sept. 17. 

On the other hand, designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton has been activated from the Injured List and will become a pinch hitter. 

Judge is doing baseball activities like taking swings in the batting cage and throwing the baseball, but he has yet to run the bases. Thus far, Judge has been limited to running on an AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill, which checks on his running mechanics. Manager Aaron Boone indicated on Tuesday that Judge will be activated for the postseason once he is able to play the outfield.        

“At some point, obviously, (running the bases) will be part of it, especially if (he is) coming back as a full player and playing the field and in the lineup and things like that,”  Boone told reporters.  

Yankees' Aaron Boone felt Aaron Judge "wasn't quite ready" ahead of AL wild-card series

After Monday’s workouts, Judge, Boone and New York's training staff talked about Judge’s availability. It was obvious to the skipper that Judge was not ready to play against Boston. 

“We had an honest conversation last night after the workout and I just felt like he wasn't quite ready,”  Boone said.  "So hopefully we're able to advance, and these are valuable days as he gets closer to being a real option for us. Hopefully, he’ll be a part of it at some point moving forward. When that is, I don't know.”

With Judge out, Heliot Ramos will get the start in right field. It helps that Ramos is hitting .297 against left-handed pitching this season. He will face Red Sox left-hander Payton Tolle.     

"Honestly, I just want to gain everybody's trust. This is what I'm here for," Ramos told reporters. "At the end of the day, nobody can compare to that. But at the end of the day, I'm me, and I know I'm ready for it and I'm ready to go." 

While Judge is off the roster, Stanton is back on the field for the first time since late April. He missed the last 137 games of the '26 season because of calf strains in both legs. The Yankees are hoping that Stanton can give them some thump off the bench. 

Don’t forget that Stanton is an excellent postseason player, slashing .254/.322/.605 with 18 homers and 44 RBI in 48 postseason games. He was at his best in the 2024 American League Championship Series against the Guardians. He won the series MVP after hitting four homers and knocking in seven runs.         

Despite missing a lot of time, Boone believes Stanton will not be rusty in the batter’s box.

“It's obviously been a really tough year for G on the injury front,” Boone said. “I just give him a ton of credit because after this last setback a month ago, he probably could have just taken his ball and gone home. 

“Even through the frustration of having a couple of different setbacks, he's never stopped working to be some kind of option. And he's at that point now. I think through the entire year, the one thing he has done is, he's hit a lot because he's been close to returning a couple of times. So for a guy that hasn't played since April, that's a thing. That's absolutely real. He has hit a lot during the year and certainly hit a lot lately."

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.