And thus, the New York Yankees' season has come to yet another disappointing end. New York's quest to win the World Series has once again failed at the hands of a division rival. This year, it was the Tampa Bay Rays that eliminated them from the postseason, sweeping them 3-0 in the American League Division Series.
Noticeably absent from the Yankees' postseason run was Aaron Judge, their MVP and best player in the lineup. Judge has been injured for most of the year, including this year's postseason run. After the Yankees' loss to the Rays, Judge was one of the last people to leave the dugout, seemingly in despair.
Judge has been out since September with a calf injury. The Yankees star suffered that injury just seven games after coming back from a rib injury that rendered him unable to play for 84 games. Despite attempting multiple treatments, including a platelet-poor plasma injection, Judge was left off the playoff roster for both the Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox and the Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Judge attempted to play in Game 3 as the Yankees were facing elimination. After two dismal games in Tampa Bay, this was New York's last attempt at making a comeback. However, both Judge and the staff deemed that it was not wise for Judge to play in Game 3.
“Feeling great, that's why we were pushing for it. We had meetings, talking back and forth. It just didn't happen,” Judge said.
The Yankees will now have to reevaluate their roster… yet again. After years of continuous playoff disappointments, is it time for sweeping changes to be made with the team?