Yankees' Aaron Boone has blunt response on Aaron Judge’s ALDS status

New York Yankees injured right fielder Aaron Judge. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Yankees' Aaron Boone has blunt response on Aaron Judge’s ALDS status

By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Oct 2, 2026 3:21 PM ET

The New York Yankees are set to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS, with Game 1 taking place on Saturday at Tropicana Field.

The Yankees answered one lingering question by naming Gerrit Cole as the starter for Game 1, but another massive question is whether or not Aaron Judge will be on the roster.

Judge was kept off the wild-card roster because he was working his way back from injury, but there was hope that he would return for this round.

Yankees' Aaron Boone has blunt answer on Aaron Judge's status

On Friday, Aaron Boone was asked whether or not Judge would be on the roster, and he had a blunt response.

“As the day unfolds, we’ll see where we’re at," Boone said, via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Aaron Judge took live BP yesterday and is working out today at GMS Field in Tampa. He has not yet run the bases, Aaron Boone said. “As the day unfolds, we’ll see where we’re at.”
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) October 2, 2026

Boone had said that he felt Judge "wasn't quite ready" to be on the roster for the wild-card round, and the hope was always that Judge would be ready for the ALDS.

Judge has only played 66 games all season long due to a long absence earlier in the year with an injury. The reigning AL MVP has been itching to return, but everything depends on how he feels following his session.

The Yankees have until Saturday morning to announce their ALDS roster, and it might not be known until then if Judge is going to be part of the roster.

Matt Wadleigh

Matt Wadleigh is based in California and born and raised in the San Diego area. He studied print journalism at Fresno State for college and got to watch Paul George, Derek Carr and Davante Adams play in a Bulldogs uniform. His work has been featured at ClutchPoints, Sportscasting, Sporting News, and various USA Today sites, including UCLA Wire, where he was the first managing editor

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