Aaron Judge is unlikely to be available for the American League wild-card series, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced on Tuesday.
Judge, 34, has been diagnosed with a “moderate-grade” calf (soleus muscle) strain.
Judge underwent a platelet-poor plasma injection on Monday.
Set to appear in his fewest career games over a full season, Judge previously missed 88 games with a fractured rib. Returning on Sept. 9, Judge would appear in seven games before leaving a Sept. 16 game against the Minnesota Twins early with the calf ailment. He was placed back on the IL on Sept. 19, retroactive to Sept. 17.
A native of Sacramento, Judge is in his 11th big league season. His regular season will end with 66 games played. The three-time AL Most Valuable Player batted .241 with 57 hits, 18 home runs, 41 runs batted in and an OPS of .871 in 237 at-bats.
The Yankees (89-66) begin a four-game set with the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays (95-60) on Tuesday. Their season concludes with three games against the Baltimore Orioles (76-81) beginning on Friday. The Yankees will almost assuredly play the Boston Red Sox (84-72) in their first-round series, beginning next Tuesday in the Bronx.
