Yankees’ Aaron Judge not happy injury details revealed, wants to be ready for playoff opener

NEW YORK — Yankees captain Aaron Judge hasn't given up on being back for the start of the playoffs even though he's very early into recovering from a serious calf injury. He's also not thrilled that his manager revealed his strain is a Grade 2, which typically has a six-to-eight week recovery time.

This drama overshadowed Ben Rice hitting his 40 th and 41 st home runs in Wednesday night's 9-2 Yankees romp over the Rays , who played like they had a hangover a night after clinching the AL East crown at Yankee Stadium.

Judge returned from an 88-game absence with a fractured rib on Sept. 8, then injured his calf eight days later. The Yankees didn't reveal the severity until after Judge was back on injured list. Then, Judge said he planned on returning for the start of the playoffs.

Before Tuesday's game, Boone revealed Judge has a moderate strain, which is a Grade 2. The manager added that he's not expecting Judge back for the first round of the playoffs, but also not ruling it out.

The Grade 2 revelation led to most everyone outside the organization counting Judge out for at least the Wild Card Series and maybe the entire postseason. Before Wednesday's game, Judge repeated his past comments in a short interview with ESPN, saying he planned on being ready for the playoffs. He also hinted that he was upset with Boone making his MRI grade public, saying "I can't control what people say, so you'll have to talk to them about that."

After the Yankees romp, Boone approached a group of media after winning pitcher Gerrit Cole's postgame interview and said, "Got some questions?"

For the next few minutes, Judge repeatedly made it clear that he hopes to come back as soon as he can because he doesn't want to miss playoff games. He also made it clear that he was not happy Boone told the truth about his MRI results.

We didn't necessarily expect you for the first round of the postseason. There is a report that you said today that you expect to be in there. What leads you to believe that you're going to be good to go come Tuesday?

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

What can you tell us about what you have been doing? You had the PPP shot on Monday. Have you done anything since?

Judge: "We're doing some work back there in the training room and weight room. I'm doing everything I can so I can be ready to go when the postseason starts."

Do you feel like you have to be ready to play right field, or would you come back and be able to DH?

Judge: "Any form they need me. Obviously, I want to try to come back and be ready to play the field because I think that gives us the best lineup, especially with how Benny's been swinging the bat. You got Garcia and Goldie at first base. I'm a right fielder. That's what we're trying to do. Anyway I can get back to be in good form to play a good outfield, for sure."

How do you weigh wanting to come back as soon as you can, and the risk involved, especially with that kind of injury with the calf. It can make it potentially worse for the future?

Judge: "I weigh it, and I weigh it like this: We've got a great team, and we've got a great opportunity in front of us. The future is not guaranteed, good or bad. My job is to do whatever I can to get back, and things are feeling great, so that's what I'm trying to do. If you ask if I'm trying to come back and play, of course."

Do you worry that coming back sooner than the recommended timeline could cause further damage?

Judge: "I'm not a doctor. I don't know what's going to happen. I just know how I feel when I wake up in the morning. I evaluate how I'm feeling and I continue to make progress to get back on the field. I can't tell you the future, what that's going to hold. I don't know what's going to happen tonight or the next day, so I just focus on today and try to improve a little bit every single day so when that time comes around for postseason, we're ready to go."

Have the medical people said it's conceivable that you could be a full player by Tuesday night?

Judge: "We're going into the postseason, so I think we're all on board that you've got to get back as soon as we can."

Boone said on Tuesday that it was a moderate calf strain. Usually that takes several weeks to recover. Is it realistic for you to be back by Tuesday?

Judge: "Everybody's moderate's a little different. I think your moderate's a little different than my moderate, and so on and so on. I don't know why (Boone) used those words, but I'm trying to come back as soon as I can."

Do you need to be pain free, or is it a matter of they can tape the calf tightly and you play through it?

Judge: "I think everybody's really banged up. They're all dealing with something. So come back to where I can be a great player for the New York Yankees, that's what we're trying to do."

Are you upset that Boone called it moderate or suggested it was unlikely you'd be able to play in this series?

Judge: "Boonie's my guy, so I've always got his back. I know he makes the right decisions. Obviously as a player you don't want to hear that, but that's out of my control. I've got a job. I've got to come back and be ready to go. And that's what I'm focused on right now."

You mentioned you're working out. Do you have any idea when you may be able to resume baseball activities?

Judge: "I've got to talk to the trainer about that one. I'm not sure. But like I said, we're doing everything in our power to speed this process up. If it happened in May, I think maybe the timeline's a little different and maybe we can give you a timeline and better information, but we've got work to do. That's where we're focused on."

There are still steps though that you have to go through that you probably can't skip, like running the bases. We're seeing Giancarlo Stanton go through that now. Obviously, it's not the same exact injury, but it's a calf injury. Is there a way to speed up the process?

Judge: "It's tough to say. I think each injury is a little different. G's is probably a little different than mine, so we'll see what they got lined up. But like I said, the goal is to be back as soon as possible. I know I'm ruled out for the regular season, but we'll see what happens when the postseason starts."

You've never missed a playoff game. What goes to your head thinking that you might not be part of that series?

Judge: "I haven't really thought about it because I'm focused on what I can do in the next couple days. The Bronx is a magical place in October. Even going back to last year, I know we didn't finish a goal, but it was a great series against Boston in the Wild Card and a tough series against the Blue Jays. I don't want to miss out (this year) on that opportunity."

Do you notice any difference since having the PPP injection on Monday?

Judge: "Any injection doesn't feel too good that day, but I feel a lot better today and we're gonna keep making strides."

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