NEW YORK -- Aaron Judge will not play for the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card series, but fellow slugger Giancarlo Stanton -- who hasn't played in over five months -- was included on the roster.
Judge was left off New York's 26-man roster, submitted Tuesday, after attempting to convince Yankees officials that his calf injury was healed enough for the start of the postseason. The three-time American League MVP has not played since straining his right calf on Sept. 16, which was his seventh game back with the Yankees after missing more than three months with a fractured rib.
But the Yankees did include Stanton, who was activated from the 60-day injured list Tuesday. Outfielder Trent Grisham, who also finished the regular season on the IL, also is on the roster for the best-of-three series against the Boston Red Sox, which begins Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
Left-hander Ryan Weathers, another member of the Yankees' lengthy injured list, was left off.
The Yankees will carry 16 position players and just 10 pitchers for the series, an unusual composition for a postseason roster. Last year, New York had 14 position players and 12 pitchers for the ALWCS against Boston, which the Yankees won in three games.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone last week described Judge's injury as a "moderate grade" strain and said the team was not expecting the eight-time All-Star to be ready for the ALWCS. But he did not rule out the possibility and Judge, visibly annoyed by his manager's public handling of his situation last week, remained determined to demonstrate he would be ready.
Stanton, who has hit 18 home runs with a .926 OPS in 48 career postseason games, has not played since straining his right calf April 24. He suffered two setbacks -- aggravating his right calf in June and straining his left calf in August -- as he approached returning during the regular season. He is expected to be used exclusively as a pinch hitter against the Red Sox.
Grisham, New York's primary center fielder this season, has not played since suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain Sept. 4. Weathers, who posted a 3.60 ERA in 25 starts this season, was being considered for a one-inning relief role after not pitching since Aug. 22 because of a forearm flexor strain.
Weathers threw a live batting practice session during Monday's workout at Yankee Stadium while Judge's effort to persuade team decision-makers advanced to taking batting practice on the field and facing live pitching for the first time since straining his calf.
Judge took a few rounds of swings during practice and drove a home run to left-center field with the final pitch he saw. He later took four at-bats against Yankees pitchers -- one against Weathers and three against right-hander Elmer Rodriguez.
Judge then walked off the field without doing any running, his on-field demonstration for club officials complete. From there, team brass weighed whether what they saw was enough for their superstar to occupy a spot on their roster.
Without Judge running the bases or running on the field at all, having him return to play right field -- where he fits best since the Yankees prefer to have Ben Rice as their designated hitter with Luis Garcia Jr. and Paul Goldschmidt platooning at first base -- was not realistic.
The Yankees could have carried Judge on the roster strictly as a pinch hitter, but they have Stanton earmarked for that role. Ultimately, the Yankees decided to move forward without a compromised version of their best player needing to win two of three games against their fiercest rival.
Should the Yankees advance to the AL Division Series, adding Judge to the roster against the Tampa Bay Rays is a real possibility. Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday at Tropicana Field before an off day Sunday and Game 2 on Monday.
The Yankees could decide to put Judge on the roster against the Rays and keep him out until Game 2 for two more days of recovery. But they must get there first.
The Yankees compiled the second-best record in the AL, finishing 93-68 despite Judge playing in just 66 games of their 161 games. They went 41-25 with Judge in the lineup and 52-43 without him.
Judge's absence was impossible to ignore; the Yankees scored about a run fewer a game without the five-time Silver Slugger. They overcame his extended time on the IL and remained firmly in the postseason picture behind a pitching staff that posted the lowest ERA in the majors.
Judge was not himself for the last six weeks of games he played. He played through his rib fracture, which he suffered in late April, for over a month and watched his numbers tumble dealing with the pain until May 31. He returned on Sept. 8 after missing 99 days and did not resemble the No. 99 that has tormented pitchers over the past decade, going 4-for-23 with 13 strikeouts, one walk and one home run in 24 plate appearances before leaving a game against the Minnesota Twins with the calf strain.