Aaron Judge has been here too many times before: watching another team celebrate in front of him at Yankee Stadium.
“I hate every moment of it,” Judge said of his thoughts while sitting in the dugout after the Rays beat the Yankees 4-3 to complete a three-game ALDS sweep. “So, I don’t forget it. I was thinking about the missed opportunities this season and this series.
Perhaps that’s what the 2026 Yankee season will be most remembered for, as Judge was forced to miss such a significant portion of the regular season due to a fractured rib that cost him more than three months and then a strained calf that kept him out of the postseason.
When asked how close he was to being activated for the ALDS after missing the wild-card series win against Boston, Judge said: “We’re talking about what-ifs. If I was on the roster or not, the guys were fighting and I had every confidence in them. I like our chances whether I’m on there or not.”
He said he “felt good,” but Judge’s presence was certainly missed in the lineup — just as it was during the regular season.
“It really hurts,” Judge said. “You want to be out there. You try to get out as soon as possible. It hurts not to have the chance to go out and fight.
Now the Yankees must watch the rest of the postseason unfold without them, then head into an offseason filled with uncertainty, with a lockout likely in December.
Judge was asked what the team needs to do to improve and avoid finding itself in this situation, as it has every year of his career.
“We’re the Yankees,” Judge said. “I feel like (the front office) should pull out all the stops and do what they need to do. If we have some holes, if it comes to finding certain players, whatever we need to do.
He praised the contributions of young players like Cam Schlittler, George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones and said he was impressed with how Anthony Volpe bounced back after being sent to the minors.
None of this was enough to return the Yankees to the top of the baseball world.
The judge said “a lot” had to happen for that to change.
“I control what I can as a player,” Judge said. “They give us a winning team every year. It’s not enough in New York.
And it gave a division rival an ALDS victory over the Yankees in the Bronx, the Blue Jays having done so a year ago.
“I don’t like it, other teams partying at our house,” Judge said. “If you don’t like it, you need to play better.”
Gn sports
