Boone Defends Judge's Playoff Push Amidst Injury Clarity Differences

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has addressed differing public statements regarding captain Aaron Judge's recovery from a calf strain, emphasizing that both player and manager are aligned in their goal for Judge to return to play as soon as possible. Boone referred to Judge's eagerness to play in the upcoming wild-card series as "passion," downplaying any perceived disagreement between them.

Boone stated on Thursday that he and Judge had a brief conversation about the situation. The manager had previously suggested that Judge might not be ready for the wild-card series, while Judge expressed his intention to be available for Game 1. Additionally, Boone described Judge's injury as "moderate," a characterization that Judge questioned.

"I don’t want to get too much into that [conversation with Judge]," Boone said when asked about the apparent divergence in their statements. "At the end of the day, we’re all in this together. And in his case, trying to get him right and get him healthy so he can be an option for us here at some point. But we’re also going to listen to the injury. I see it as just a passionate player that’s doing all he can to get back for his teammates."

Boone interpreted what some might see as frustration from Judge as simply the "passion" of a competitor. He also noted that final roster decisions for the postseason round, which begins Tuesday, may not be made until that morning. This allows the Yankees to give Judge maximum time to recover from the calf strain he sustained on September 16. This injury occurred just seven games after Judge's return from a rib fracture that had sidelined him for over three months.

"The bottom line is Aaron and I have always had an amazing relationship and still do and will," Boone said. "This is about a player that, again, is pouring everything he possibly can into being ready, and we’re going to support that. And when he’s ready, we’ll make a call of when that is based on how he’s doing."

Both Judge and Boone have stressed that the star outfielder is diligently working to speed up his recovery. Judge, who received a platelet-poor plasma injection on Monday, is still limited in his movements less than two weeks after the injury and has not yet resumed swinging a bat. He is focusing on rehabilitation exercises and modalities in the training room to facilitate healing, with the goal of returning as a right fielder rather than a designated hitter.