That’s just about all that’s left for the Yankees to do as they play their final seven games of the year this week. It will take a rather large miracle to catch the Rays now, in spite of having four games against them. The good news is as they are 5.5 games ahead of the Red Sox for the first wild card spot, so assuming they totally tank the week, the Bronx will see playoff games in the Wild Card round. But of course, as has been the case all season, the good news is followed by bad news.

The Bombers will return from 3-3 west coast swing short a man, as they often have been in 2026. But this one hurts more than most, as Aaron Judge was placed on the IL Friday with a calf strain and replaced, with no clear time table given for his return to action. The Yankees recalled Max Schuemann from triple-A and to the team’s credit, they battled through the three games against Arizona, even if they lost the series.

Despite the effort being passable I have to circle back to the Judge situation. This injury plagued season is a creation of number 99’s own doing on and off the field. His initial injury in May was bad enough that he probably should have sat down then. But the Yankees as usual deferred to Judge and all that did was lead to him making his injury worse by playing through it until his eventual IL stint. Judge and the team spent the final few days of his 99 day absence selling some sob story about him demanding his return to the lineup, despite the choreographed nature of the comeback.

The compounding issue on top of this Judge driven mess is that they let him call his shot on the return, leading to him electing to forgo a rehab assignment. While I readily admit I was in favor of Judge getting back as soon as possible in an effort to run down the Rays, this risk always existed and the immediate return probably wasn’t a good idea. When the new injury occurred, Judge did his usual smirking “I won’t tell you when I’m back” routine, as he’s been annoyingly cagey about his health for years. Boone was seemingly frustrated by having to deal with this again, and I can’t blame him. His star has led the way on a recovery effort that has failed, after causing his own injury to worsen, all while making the media a “need to know” group. I’m tired of it too if it’s any consolation Booney.

The rumor mill says the captain could be out anywhere from 2-6 weeks, so what’s the formula for winning games now without 99? First of all, I don’t mean the formula to win the games this week against Tampa and Baltimore, more specifically I’m talking beating the Red Sox next week. To be blunt, the formula isn’t any different than it was for most of the year, with or without Judge. The pitching staff will have to carry the team and they have to play a clean game behind them. No errors, no mental mistakes on the bases, just don’t beat yourself when you pitch this well.

On top of that “cleaner” approach, the team will need an offensive heater from the guys that are healthy. Aside from the obvious of Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger and Luis Garcia Jr., they’ll need the impressive Spencer Jones and the resurgent Anthony Volpe and George Lombard Jr. to keep it going as well. Beyond those six, anything they get from Ramos, McMahon, Wells and Caballero is gravy offensively. They may get Jazz Chisholm and Trent Grisham back, but I wouldn’t count on either one much, considering their sporadic production and defensive issues.

It’s a bizarre to finish to this season, at least it feels that way. The Judge return and subsequent re-injury has been a roller coaster of emotions. The games don’t really matter in the standings, as they’re pretty much locked into their playoff place. This team is busy answering far more questions than most confident playoff teams have any business solving. It feels a bit confusing and exhausting to be frank, as the continuing trend of going into the playoffs on at best a “fake high” is getting old. The best we can hope for is that they heat up as a group starting next Tuesday and can go on a run from there. This year was World Series or bust from the jump, and even if it feels fleeting, that dream is still alive.

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