Aaron Judge says he plans to be ready for Yankees' wild-card series, disputing comments from manager Aaron Boone

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Tuesday that franchise star Aaron Judge will not play in the team's wild-card series next week . Judge himself had a different story a day later.

The three-time AL MVP told ESPN that he intends to be ready for Game 1 of the wild-card series on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

"That's what the plan is," Judge said. "Try to get my body ready so I'm ready to go."

Judge has been on the injured list since Saturday due to a right calf strain , the latest blow in the worst season of his career. He reportedly received a platelet-poor plasma injection in the knee on Monday and is waiting for clearance to resume activity with his injured leg.

The Yankees can technically activate Judge on the final day of the regular season, but his potential return date is unclear. While addressing Judge's health with reporters, Boone said, "We're planning on him not being a part of that," seemingly ruling Judge out until at least the ALDS if the Yankees advance.

Judge reportedly said he has had discussions with the Yankees' decision-makers about his prognosis, but he doesn't know if he will be on the club's wild-card roster:

"We've done a lot of talks, but I can't control what people say," Judge said. "So you'll have to talk to them about that."

If the season ended Wednesday, the Yankees would face the Boston Red Sox in the wild-card series for a second straight season. They have already clinched the top wild-card spot in the AL, with the Red Sox three games ahead of the Chicago White Sox for the second spot.

A healthy Judge would be a boon to the Yankees, but there's no telling what they will get from him even if he's on the roster. This season has been a trying one for the 34-year-old, who has played only 66 games due to that calf injury and a stress fracture in his ribs. That's the fewest games he has played in a season outside of his cup of coffee in 2016 and the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Judge has also underperformed even when playing, slashing .241/.360/.511 with a 141 OPS+ that ranks, again, as the worst of his career outside of 2016.