Yankees leave Aaron Judge off postseason roster, activate Stanton and Grisham

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees looks on during the seventh inning of the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on September 23, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Yankees will be without captain Aar

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What is the story about?

The Yankees will be without captain Aaron Judge as they begin the postseason in the Bronx; however, on a more reassuring note, Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham will make their return from the IL.

According to a report from YES Network’s Jack Curry, Judge will not be on the roster for the Wild Card Series against Boston. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise due to the recent speculation over the severity of his calf injury, but it still marks a significant blow to this Yankees offense.

On the other

hand, according to reports from MLB insider Jon Morosi, Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham made the roster and are poised to make their return from the IL. There’s no word yet on what their roles might be, as both the DH and center field roles have been well-occupied down the stretch, the latter by powerful rookie Spencer Jones.

Stanton hasn’t appeared in a regular season game since April 24th, when he took three at-bats against the Astros. He’s recently been captured running from the field during warmups and taking some reps from the cage, which could be perceived as a promising sign. We asked the Pinstripe Alley community their thoughts on the possibility of the veteran power hitter making the roster a few days ago, and several agreed that there’s a strong chance that he makes a pinch-hitting appearance. With 18 career playoff homers in just 48 games, Stanton is one of the best Bomber threats to ever grace the postseason stage — it’s just a matter of how rusty he might be, though the fear factor on opposing pitchers cannot be ignored either.

Grisham is set to make his return from a hamstring injury that reportedly lingered throughout the regular season. He hasn’t made an appearance on the field since early September, but was recently captured taking batting practice from the cage in front of Aaron Boone.

The Wild Card Series begins with Cam Schlittler taking the mound against Payton Tolle in a pitching matchup to kick off the MLB postseason on Tuesday night.