Yankees lose Aaron Judge to injury immediately before postseason

Aaron Judge is going back to the injured list.

The two-time defending American League injured list has a calf strain and will land on the 10-day IL, ending his regular season at a critical juncture, according to multiple reports Friday, Sept. 18.

The Yankees have 10 games remaining in the regular season: three against the Arizona Diamondbacks, four against the Tampa Bay Rays and three against the Baltimore Orioles. They will attempt to clinch a postseason berth without their best player — an unfortunate but familiar position for the team.

MORE: Former Blue Jays pitcher dies unexpectedly at 45

Judge, 34, has been limited to 66 games this season because of a right rib stress fracture. The Yankees (88-64) are second to the Rays (93-59) in the AL East, and have been playing catch-up all season without the fearsome slugger.

Judge is slashing .241/.360/.511 this season, down numbers that reflect his trying to play through the injury in May. He still has 18 home runs in only 237 at-bats — enough to make a difference in October if he’s healthy.

Suddenly, that’s a big if.

MORE: Yankees World Series champion who finished career with Red Sox dies

More to come on this story.

—Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter—