Aaron Judge has been here too many times before: watching another team celebrate in front of him at Yankee Stadium.
“Just hating every single moment of it,’’ Judge said of his thoughts when he was sitting in the dugout after the Rays beat the Yankees 4-3 to complete a three-game sweep of the ALDS. “So I don’t forget it. I was thinking of missed opportunities this season and this series.”
That may be what the 2026 Yankee season will most be remembered for, as Judge was forced to miss such a sizable chunk of the regular season due to a fractured rib that cost him over three months and then the strained calf that prevented him from playing in the postseason.
Asked how close he was to being activated for the ALDS after missing the wild-card series win over Boston, Judge said, “We’re talking hypotheticals. If I was on the roster or not, guys were out there fighting and I had all the faith in them. I like our chances whether I’m out there or not.”
He said he was “feeling great,” but the lineup certainly missed Judge’s presence — just as it did during the regular season.
“It definitely hurts,’’ Judge said. “You want to be out there. You try to get out there as soon as you can. It hurts not to get a chance to get out and battle.”
Now, the Yankees have to watch the rest of the postseason play out without them and then head into an offseason filled with uncertainty, with a lockout likely in December.
Judge was asked what the team needs to do to get better and avoid being in this situation again, as they have every year of his career.
“We’re the Yankees,’’ Judge said. “I feel like [the front office] should go all in and do what they need to do. If we’ve got holes, if it’s finding certain players, whatever we need.”
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 down to the minors.
None of it was enough to get the Yankees back to the top of the baseball world.
Judge said “a lot of things” need to happen for that to change.
“I control what I can as a player,’’ Judge said. “They give us a winning team every year. That’s not good enough in New York.”
And it resulted in a division rival clinching an ALDS win over the Yankees in The Bronx, with the Blue Jays doing it a year ago.
“I don’t like that, other teams celebrating at our place,’’ Judge said. “If you don’t like it, you’ve got to play better.”
