Garrett Crochet IN, Aaron Judge OUT, as Red Sox & Yankees announce playoff rosters

Well, maybe, maybe not. With a gimpy calf, there were serious questions about how effective Judge would be in the batters box. At 100%, Judge is a force of nature. At 90%, he's still a threat. But 80%? 70%? The margins between greatness and mediocrity are minuscule in the Majors, and it's not at all clear that the Red Sox would need to worry about a diminished and rusty Judge.

Moreover, given the calf issue, Judge would almost certainly need to DH, and that would have a difficult ripple effect on the rest of the Yankees lineup. With the DH slot unavailable, Aaron Boone would have to choose between Paul Goldschmidt (who has destroyed lefties this year) and Ben Rice (who is one of the best hitters in the league) at first base. It would also have forced Giancarlo Stanton into the outfield if Boone wanted to get his bat into the lineup, making the Yankees already iffy defense even worse (yes, Giancarlo Stanton has somehow made it back for the playoffs, after not having played since April). Leaving Judge off the roster simplifies things for Boone, who, let us not forget, has had difficulty managing in the postseason before.

But, still… it's Aaron Freakin' Judge. I would never not be terrified to see him come up the plate in the late innings of a tight game. Great players do great things.