What the Yankees' Lineup Should Look Like Without Aaron Judge In October

Aaron Judge's regular season may be over, but that doesn't mean the Yankees' has to be.

A mystery calf ailment popped up suddenly on Wednesday and has resulted in the Yankees captain being placed on the injured list. It's unclear whether he will return in 2026, even if he's eligible to return next weekend. Aaron Boone did not give any information on the severity of the calf issue, but the timeline is likely not good due to how tricky those injuries prove to be.

A scenario is now potentially unfolding that would have only appeared in Boone's nightmares: a postseason without the best hitter in baseball, with a lineup that struggled mightily without him. Even if they seemed to gradually improve as time went on, particularly in August, it would be a massive blow if he cannot return.

You can't replace a guy like Judge midseason; you can merely do your best to make up for his absence. Fortunately, on a platoon-heavy team like this, they should have plenty of options to build a lineup without him for the playoffs.

What the playoff lineup should look like against right-handed pitching

Ben Rice (DH)
Cody Bellinger (LF)
Luis García Jr. (1B)
Heliot Ramos (RF)
Spencer Jones (CF)
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B)
George Lombard Jr. (SS)
Austin Wells (C)
Ryan McMahon (3B)

This lineup simultaneously features the easiest decisions, but also the roughest circumstances. Having a guy like Judge as the ultimate lineup balancer who mashed both lefties and righties allowed you to use plenty of left-handed hitters at the top of the order, something that the team has in abundance.

The best right-handed hitter on the roster without Judge is hard to pinpoint, especially since all of them are significantly worse against same-handed pitching. Heliot Ramos might just be the best option to bat highest among them, which would be cleanup in this scenario.

It's not an ideal situation in the slightest. Even if you don't think it makes sense to bat Ramos that high because of his struggles against righties, there is some merit to breaking up the team's many left-handed bats. In a lineup that will likely only feature one other righty, it has to be considered.

The fate of this lineup when they're out there, which would likely be mostly after a potential Wild Card Series with the Red Sox, would hinge on the middle. Spencer Jones and Jazz Chisholm Jr. got hot in August and helped the offensive turnaround begin, but both are heavily streaky bats with contact issues. If they go cold, this lineup might limp through games like they did in July.

What the playoff lineup should look like against left-handed pitching

Paul Goldschmidt (1B)
Cody Bellinger (LF)
Heliot Ramos (RF)
Ben Rice (DH)
George Lombard Jr. (SS)
Spencer Jones (CF)
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B)
Anthony Volpe/José Caballero (3B)
Austin Wells (C)

Here's where it gets interesting. How far do you lean into the platoons on a team with several players designated to specifically hit lefties, especially against a team that will likely lean heavily on those types of pitchers in Boston?

Many Yankees fans believe that it would be improper to take a guy like García, who is likely the team's second-best pound-for-pound hitter with Judge injured, out of the lineup, but you don't really have a choice here. He's slashing just .238/.274/.363 against lefties, while Goldschmidt has been among the team's best hitters against them for the last two seasons. Add in Rice's improvements against same-handed pitching, and it just needs to be done.

Using him in a different position is also just not happening. He has not played second base, where he was extremely poor, since 2025. The only position he's played this season is first base. If he wasn't so dreadful out there, maybe he could replace Chisholm, a mediocre hitter against lefties in his own right.

Speaking of defense, you might notice the lack of Amed Rosario, and that's intentional. Rosario's use on this roster was almost exclusively predicated on his ability to hit left-handed pitching, but he's been significantly worse at it this season. Add in his truly dreadful defense, and you have a conundrum.

Anthony Volpe is a better hitter than José Caballero, but there are questions about how his arm strength would play at third, where he's also very inexperienced with just three games played in Triple-A. Caballero would probably get the nod here, but he's someone who just plays better off the bench with his speed and versatility.

It's also an aggressive placement for Lombard, batting fifth in his first career playoff game. The results haven't quite been there yet for him, but he's always been significantly better against lefties and should be slid up the lineup and be treated as one of those platoon bats who are there to hit that handedness, even if it might lead to consequences in the bullpen.

Boston is loaded with left-handed pitching from the rotation to the bullpen, so there will be few opportunities to get to a guy like García on the bench. The rest of the bench would be situational with pinch runners and pinch hitters.

Things ultimately look particularly shallow, but is there a chance that some last-minute reinforcements could help out?

Could Trent Grisham or Giancarlo Stanton return to provide relief?

Trent Grisham and Giancarlo Stanton — Sep 29, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham (12) is greeted by New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) at home plate after hitting a two run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

It seems unlikely, especially early in the postseason, but the Yankees are refusing to shut the door on either Trent Grisham's or Giancarlo Stanton's return.

Grisham, who suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain earlier this month, was revealed to be "pretty far along" in his running program, and Boone said it's not out of the question that he returns in the season's final days, although an exact timeline for that has not been spelled out. If Grisham is physically ready to get back on the field, it would provide a boost, even if he might not be starting over Jones at this point.

Stanton, who's been out since April due to two separate calf strains and a re-aggravation, has continued to hit through his rehab, but hasn't resumed running as of last Sunday. Considering how it took several weeks for him to even get close to back from injury with his running program last time, this likely doesn't put him in play until the ALCS at the earliest.

While Stanton seems significantly less likely to get into a game again this season, there is a path for Grisham. The team could use him and Ramos in a platoon situation to add yet another lefty to the lineup against right-handed pitching. They could also utilize him as a pinch hitter on a larger bench than usual, due to the team's propensity to carry fewer than 13 pitchers in the Wild Card Series.

The real question for Grisham is defensive. While Jones has absolutely looked shaky in center field, the struggles of Grisham out there are well documented. Add in his diminished athleticism and likely balky hamstring straight off an injury, would it be better if the team just chanced it by throwing him in right field when he plays?

He hasn't played the position since a disastrous error lost the Brewers the 2019 Wild Card Game against the Nationals, but playing it at Yankee Stadium is significantly easier than dealing with the spacious center field. Of course, this is something the Yankees would have to determine their willingness to do beforehand and have him practice the position, so what plans they have will be determined by that.

As for Stanton if he's ever medically able to get back? There just might not be any room for him with Rice as the permanent DH. You don't want to take the bat out of either of their hands, and with the team seemingly having to juggle multiple guys coming off soft-tissue injuries, can they afford to use a roster spot for a designated pinch hitter as they did with 2022 Matt Carpenter?

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