Aaron Judge Calls Out Yankees' Aaron Boone For Comments on Injury, Status for 2026 MLB Playoffs

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge has questioned manager Aaron Boone publicly discussing his potential availability for the American League wild-card series as he recovers from a calf injury.

After the Yankees' win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, Judge seemed unhappy that Boone described his injury as a "moderate" calf strain.

"I don't know why he used those words," Judge told reporters when asked about the situation.

Boone made his comment on Tuesday when he also said the Yankees are "planning on him not being a part of that" after being asked about Judge's availability for the wild-card round, but they aren't ruling him out at this point.

The Yankees skipper also said Judge received an injection in his calf on Monday.

Judge said Wednesday his "goal" is to return as soon as possible, though he didn't offer any timetable:

"My goal is to come back as soon as I can. That's what we're doing right now. If he says I'm not going to be ready, I've got no control over that. I got control over what I can do to try to get back as soon as I can. If you ask me if I'm gonna be back, I'm gonna tell you, I'm doing everything I can every single day I show up here to get back and be ready to go."

Judge returned to the lineup on Sept. 8 after missing 85 games due to a stress fracture in his rib. The three-time AL MVP made seven starts before leaving a Sept. 16 game against the Minnesota Twins early due to a calf injury.

The Yankees placed Judged on the 10-day IL on Sept. 19 after an MRI revealed a calf strain. They did not say the severity of the strain or when he might be able to return.

New York is locked in as the No. 4 seed in the AL playoffs and will host the Boston Red Sox in the best-of-three wild card series starting on Sept. 29. Judge is eligible to be activated off the IL on Sunday, the final day of the regular season.

Judge hit just .174/.208/.304 with one homer and 13 strikeouts in 24 plate appearances in the seven games after returning from his rib injury. He is hitting .241/.360/.511 with 18 homers in 66 games overall this season.