Aaron Judge wants to play in the wild-card round — will the Yankees include him on the roster?

Whether the New York Yankees include their leading man on the upcoming wild-card roster is a much hazier situation.

Judge has not seen game action since Sept. 16, sidelined due to a right calf strain. Before that ailment emerged, Judge missed three months due to a stress fracture in his rib. He returned on Sept. 8, went a lackluster 4-for-23, hurt the calf and went right back on the shelf. As such, his status for New York's best-of-three playoff showdown with the Boston Red Sox has been a story of great intrigue across the tri-state area.

On Monday, beneath a glum, pewter sky, Judge and the Yankees went through the typical pre-postseason series workout. The three-time MVP took four or five rounds of light batting practice on the field. He uncharacteristically flared a ball foul into the seats. He also clobbered one over the wall in deep left-center. To an amateur's eye, he looked like a physically compromised version of Aaron Judge, though it's impossible to make a complete diagnosis from 30 swings against a soft-tossing coach.