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

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This article covers Yankees place Aaron Judge back on IL, making star slugger's status uncertain ahead of playoffs and provides comprehensive coverage of the key details and implications.

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). As for when the Yankees expect him back? They don't know. "I don't know," manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Friday . "I'm not going to predict anything." 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 . Add CBS Sports on Google Join the Conversation comments Yankees' Judge back on IL (calf), status uncertain as playoffs loom Matt Snyder 1 min read MLB Bracketology: Projecting the field, how October will go Matt Snyder 4 min read 10 MLB free agents who helped or hurt themselves in 2026 season Matt Snyder 6 min read MLB playoff picture: Standings, bracket, projections, scenarios Kate Feldman 2 min read What's next for Mets? How David Stearns can turn it around (again) Mike Axisa 9 min read Braves clinch playoff berth: Why Atlanta can make World Series run Dayn Perry 4 min read Mets' Young doing 'as good as could be hoped for' after collision Matt Snyder 2 min read Bregman's big second half includes his horse's win at Churchill Downs Matt Snyder 2 min read Triple Crown for Alvarez? Predicting if Astros star can pull it off Matt Snyder 1 min read Alcántara gets first career save as Marlins cling to playoff hopes Dayn Perry 2 min read