Yankees place Aaron Judge back on IL, making star slugger's status uncertain ahead of playoffs

Judge, back for just seven games after missing three months, is being shut down again right before the postseason

Sep 18, 2026 at 6:20 pm ET • 1 min read

Yankees superstar Aaron Judge will be placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday, the Yankees announced Friday evening prior to their game in Arizona. This comes two days after Judge exited in the middle of a game due to a right calf strain. Judge missed more than three months earlier this season with a wrist issue and played just seven games before landing back on the injured list.

There are only 10 days left in the season, but the Yankees can backdate the transaction, which would make the three-time MVP eligible to return from the injured list on the final day of the regular season, Sept. 27, though his body would need to cooperate. The Wild Card Series, which the Yankees will play in unless they can track down the Rays in the AL East, will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

We can't be sure that the level of severity is similar, but for what it's worth, Judge had a strained calf in 2020 and missed roughly three weeks. A similar timeline this year, would see Judge return in the middle of the ALDS (if the Yankees reach the round).

Judge this season has 66 games played, hitting .241/.360/.511 (140 OPS+) with 18 homers, 41 RBI and 1.9 WAR. Judge homered against the Twins on Monday, but he was hitting just .174/.208/.304 in 24 plate appearances since returning from the wrist injury.

He has dealt with injuries in the past, but this season marks his lowest games played in a non-COVID season since he was called up late in the season as a rookie. 

The Yankees have already clinched a playoff berth. They have an outside shot at winning the AL East and the top seed in the AL. They trail the Rays by five games, but there's a four-game series in Yankee Stadium next week. Judge will be sidelined for the entire series.

Of course, the Yankees without Judge are a different team. They are 41-25 when he starts and 47-39 when he doesn't. He's one of the most important players to a team in all of baseball. 

The Yankees have a three-game stop in Arizona before finishing at home with a four-game series against the Rays and a three-game series against the Orioles.