The New York Yankees are set to open their best-of-five American League Division Series (ALDS) matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday at Tropicana Field, but they will begin the series without Aaron Judge.
Judge continued his on-field work throughout the week. Later that day, he also stepped onto the field at Tropicana Field for batting practice. Despite the progress, the Yankees ultimately decided that Judge had not reached the point where he could safely return to game action. The Yankees’ decision means Judge will have more time to recover before potentially returning later in the postseason.
The 34-year-old also faced live pitching Monday for the first time since suffering the injury and then continued his buildup with running drills and more batting practice, according to the New York Post’s Greg Joyce. 10. He took another round of live batting practice Wednesday before working out at the Yankees’ minor league complex in Tampa on Friday. If the series reaches a decisive fifth game, the Yankees and Rays are scheduled to meet again on Saturday, Oct.
