For their sake, the New York Yankees better hope that superstar outfielder Aaron Judge’s newest injury is only a minor setback.
Judge left Wednesday’s extra-inning loss to the Twins with lower leg tightness, immediately raising concerns among fans that he’ll miss the Yankees’ first playoff series. New York entered play on Sept. 17 in firm control of the AL’s top Wild Card seed, putting them on track to host the No. 5 Red Sox in the first round.
If Judge can’t go when the playoffs begin on Sept. 29, then he won’t be the only notable contributor not in uniform during the Wild Card Series. Each team gets 26 players for their playoff rosters, but no more than 13 pitchers. Some clubs opt for 14 position players and 12 pitchers, though we personally prefer a 13-and-13 balance. Additionally, teams can adjust their rosters between series, and obviously they can replace an injured player if needed.
For this list, we’re only including players who are healthy and active as of Sept. 17. In other words, that means Trent Grisham, Giancarlo Stanton, and Ryan Weathers are among those who didn’t qualify. We’ve also omitted Judge because the Yankees haven’t announced the severity of his left leg injury.
Jasson Domínguez, OF
The writing has long been on the wall for Domínguez, who was recently demoted to Triple-A amid another disappointing season. Even if Judge potentially misses the Wild Card Round, it’s difficult to envision the 23-year-old Domínguez returning as a backup outfielder.
Frankly, the entire situation is unfortunate, because neither Domínguez’s talent nor his work ethic has been the issue. He’s always earned rave reviews for his maturity and overall attitude, but injuries — most notably to his elbow and shoulder — have seemingly sapped him of his once-potent power stroke.
Luis Gil, P
Gil has had an odd career, winning AL Rookie of the Year in 2024 despite debuting three years earlier. Injuries have limited him to a 3.92 ERA over 80.1 innings since the start of 2025, and he recently moved to the bullpen. We’ll see whether the Yankees view the 28-year-old as a long-term reliever, or if they’d bring him to spring training as a starter.
But for now, Gil is on the roster bubble, and we don’t expect him to crack the 26-man playoff squad. Clarke Schmidt’s return gives the Yankees another depth arm, and Gil hasn’t shown that he’s worth carrying on a limited staff. That said, we imagine he’d be among the first names called if injuries strike his teammates.
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B/DH
Goldschmidt turned 39 last week, and it’s unclear whether he’s in the final weeks of a likely Hall of Fame career. He’s totaled 65.3 bWAR, and the majority of the 142 players above him are already in the Hall of Fame or will be when they’re eligible.
Let’s get back to the present. Goldschmidt is hitting just .239 with a .680 OPS in 103 second-half plate appearances, and he’s only capable of playing first or DHing. Ben Rice fills both roles, and Cody Bellinger can also play first if needed.
The one thing potentially working in Goldschmidt’s favor is his .313 average and 1.006 OPS against lefties, but that’s not enough to warrant a roster spot in our eyes. Sorry, Goldy. At least you’d finally earn a World Series ring if the Yankees finish the job.
Will Warren, SP
This might come as a surprise, given that we included Warren in our most recent playoff roster projection. But the more that we think about things, Schmidt’s return feels like a significant blow to Warren’s chances of pitching in October. Do the Yankees really need two long relievers capable of eating up innings if the starter leaves early?
We initially had veteran swingman Ryan Yarbrough in this spot, though he might have the advantage as a left-handed reliever.. He also has a 2.91 ERA in 21.2 second-half innings and has since recovered from a lingering right oblique problem.
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