Yankees’ Aaron Judge admits calf felt ‘great’ but not enough to play Game 3 vs. Rays
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New York Yankees star Aaron Judge could only watch as the Tampa Bay Rays whooped it up on center field at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday after winning the ALDS.
The Rays escaped the Yankees, 4-3, in Game 3 to sweep the best-of-five series.
Judge missed the playoffs due to a calf injury, which he sustained against the Minnesota Twins in September. It was a brutal setback, as he had just returned a few days prior after a three-month absence due to a rib injury.
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The 34-year-old slugger revealed that he wanted to suit up against the Rays, but it was not meant to be.
“Feeling great, that’s why we were pushing for it. We had meetings, talking back and forth. It just didn’t happen,” said Judge in a video posted by SNY.
Aaron Judge talks about how his calf is feeling:
“Feeling great, that’s why we were pushing for it. We had meetings, talking back and forth. It just didn’t happen.” pic.twitter.com/7Iv4I7ODs3
— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) October 8, 2026
Judge would have definitely helped the Yankees, who failed to build on their momentum from sweeping the Boston Red Sox in their wild-card series.
Fans lamented the eight-time All-Star’s absence.
“If he’s healthy, he should’ve played tonight over Trent (Grisham). What was the point of (Giancarlo) Stanton anyway?” said @SwagtoImpress.
“Malpractice from (Aaron) Boone and (Brian) Cashman,” added @CoachLedoux.
“This is why you let the best player in the game go out on his shield. Two one-run losses that could’ve been prevented!” claimed @GerritColeSZN.
“This was such a disappointing year not having you in the postseason, Cap. I’m sorry,” wrote @Ryshin75.
Fans also called for the firing of Boone following the Yankees’ exit.
New York was eliminated in the ALDS in back-to-back seasons.
Related: Yankees’ Max Fried tells exactly what he feels about brutal ALDS loss
Related: Aaron Judge’s moment after Yankees’ ALDS loss to Rays is deeply saddening
