Miami (AFP) – Aaron Judge, star hitter of the New York Yankees, will miss due to injury the American League Division Series of Major League Baseball that the New York team will play against the Tampa Bay Rays starting this Saturday.

First modification: 03/10/2026 - 20:42

The three-time MVP had vowed to do everything he could to be ready to face the Rays after missing the Yankees' two-game sweep of their archrivals, the Boston Red Sox, in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

But he apparently was unable to fully recover from a right calf strain that prevents him from running normally.

New York coach Aaron Boone left the decision on the presence of his star until the last moment this Saturday, hours before the first game of the best-of-five series.

Judge has suffered multiple injuries this season. He was out with a broken rib before suffering the calf strain on September 16 in a game against the Minnesota Twins.

Apparently, the fact that the artificial turf at the Rays' Tropicana Field could aggravate the injury was a determining factor in the decision to leave Judge out of the call for the series.

If the Bronx Bombers beat their top-seeded division rival, Judge could return for the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians or the Chicago White Sox, who began their division series this Saturday.

© 2026 AFP

The content you requested does not exist or is no longer available.