Aaron Judge left off Yankees' Division Series roster vs. Rays while he recovers from calf strain

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, left, and Giancarlo Stanton, right, watch from the dugout during the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox in Game 2 of baseball's American League Wild Card Series, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in New York.

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, left, and Giancarlo Stanton, right, watch from the dugout during the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox in Game 2 of baseball's American League Wild Card Series, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)


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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Yankees captain Aaron Judge was left off the roster for New York's AL Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays while he tries to work his way back from a calf injury.

A three-time AL MVP, Judge hasn't played since Sept. 16.

Giancarlo Stanton, who hasn't played since April 24 because of strained calf muscles in both legs, remained on the 26-man roster for the best-of-five series starting Saturday.

Stanton was active for the Wild Card Series sweep of Boston but didn't get in the games, which both turned into blowouts.

Judge was sidelined by a fractured rib from May 31 to Sept. 8 and played in just seven games before straining his right calf. He was limited to 66 games this season and hit .241 with 18 homers, 41 RBIs and an .871 OPS, including .174 with one homer and three RBIs in September.

Left-hander Ryan Weathers, sidelined with a left forearm flexor strain since Aug. 22, was added to the roster as an 11th pitcher.

Utilityman Amed Rosario was dropped. He had two plate appearances in the Wild Card Series with a walk and a strikeout.

Tampa Bay's 12 pitchers included right-hander Cole Susler and left-hander Steven Matz over right-handers Brody Hopkins, Casey Legumina and Manuel Rodríguez.

Rhys Hoskins was left off by the Cleveland Guardians. Hoskins had been on the injured list since Aug. 19 with lower back inflammation but was working out in Columbus the past couple of weeks.

The Chicago White Sox made one change to their postseason roster, with right-hander Tyler Davis added and Huascar Brazobán left off. Manager Will Venable said he went with Davis because Cleveland has more switch hitters it its lineup and was better against lefties.

Brazobán appeared in Game 2 of the sweep at Houston, facing three batters. He hit his first, struck out his second and allowed a single to his third.

Pitcher Joe Musgrove was kept on the roster as the San Diego Padres made no changes from their Wild Card sweep over the Chicago Cubs.

Recovered from Tommy John surgery, the right-handed Musgrove pitched for the first time since 2024 when he worked a scoreless ninth inning in the opener.

San Diego did put Walker Buehler on the postseason paternity list for one to three days and replaced him during that period with fellow righty Randy Vásquez.

Left-hander Kyle Harrison's late-season slide didn't keep him off the Milwaukee Brewers' roster.

Harrison was one of the Brewers' top starting pitchers for much of the season and had a 2.79 ERA in late August before allowing 24 runs — 21 earned — over nine innings in a stretch of four appearances from Aug. 31-Sept. 17. He struck out four over two innings in a Sept. 26 relief appearance that showed he might thrive in a bullpen role and finished 11-5 with a 4.20 ERA.

Milwaukee included 13 pitchers, one more than during the 2025 postseason. Right-hander Dustin May made the roster despite a 5.65 ERA in 10 starts after the Brewers acquired him from St. Louis ahead of the trade deadline.

Infielder Joey Ortiz was included after missing the final two regular-season games with knee and abdominal issues.

Catcher Bo Naylor, utilityman Brandon Lockridge and pitcher Grant Anderson were omitted.

The Braves added right-handed pitchers JR Ritchie and AJ Smith-Shawver and outfielder Lane Thomas in changes to the roster from their Wild Card Series win over Philadelphia.

The trio replaces infielders Dominic Smith and Luke Williams and outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. Thomas missed the final 18 games of the regular season with a strained left intercostal muscle.

The Dodgers are carrying 12 pitchers and 14 position players as they go for a third consecutive World Series championship.

Rookie outfielder Josue De Paula makes his postseason debut. He hit .323 with a home run and seven RBIs in 11 games after being called up directly from Double-A.

Catcher Dalton Rushing was left off the roster. He's limited to only hitting because of an elbow injury.

Also omitted was outfielder Alex Call in favor of Hyeseong Kim, who rejoined the team this week as a potential pinch runner and defensive replacement.

Among pitchers, the Dodgers left off left-handers Justin Wrobleski and Jack Dreyer and right-handers Emmet Sheehan and Kyle Hurt.

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