The New York Yankees finally had their postseason ticket secured.

Then Aaron Judge gave them another reason to worry.

Judge left Wednesday’s 5 to 4, 13 inning loss to the Minnesota Twins after experiencing tightness in his lower right leg. The Yankees removed their captain in the sixth inning, replacing him with Heliot Ramos as a precaution. Judge later explained that he first noticed the stiffness in the opening inning but tried to continue because of the importance of the game.

The timing could hardly be more delicate.

Judge only returned to the Yankees lineup on Sept. 8 after missing more than three months with a stress fracture in his right rib. New York had spent weeks carefully building his workload, with manager Aaron Boone repeatedly emphasizing the importance of increasing Judge’s physical volume rather than immediately asking him to play every inning of every game.

That plan appeared to be progressing.

Judge played six games after his return before the latest scare. He even produced one of his trademark moments on Monday, launching a 415 foot, three run home run into the second deck at Target Field. It was his first homer since returning from the injured list and came in the same game in which the Yankees officially clinched a postseason berth.

Suddenly, the focus shifted from his bat to his legs.

Judge said after Wednesday’s game that the tightness was something he noticed early and that he tried to manage it. He ultimately decided to leave the game rather than risk making the problem worse.

That decision reflects the reality facing both Judge and the Yankees.

There is no longer any question about whether New York will play postseason baseball. The Yankees secured their playoff spot earlier in the week. The remaining regular season games are now about positioning, preparation and health.

That changes the equation.

The Yankees still have a chance to improve their position in the American League, but the postseason is the larger objective. Judge is arguably the most important player in that equation, and the organization has already shown considerable caution during his recovery.

When Judge returned, the Yankees did not send him on a traditional Minor League rehabilitation assignment. Instead, they treated his first games back as a controlled buildup. Boone said the organization wanted to increase his workload intelligently, particularly after he had spent roughly 100 days on the injured list.

Judge himself had been eager to return.

Before his activation, he repeatedly expressed frustration with how long the recovery had taken. He worked through hitting drills, running, defensive exercises and increasingly demanding baseball activities before finally returning to the lineup.

The Yankees now have another variable to manage.

Their upcoming schedule includes games on artificial turf, which is particularly relevant because Judge is dealing with tightness in his lower right leg. The New York Post reported that the team could use the upcoming series as additional recovery time rather than immediately pushing Judge back into a full workload.

There is also a roster calculation involved.

If the Yankees place Judge back on the injured list, he would be unavailable until at least Game 161 under the applicable rules. That could complicate New York’s ability to evaluate his readiness before the postseason while also creating a short term roster management issue.

For now, there is no indication that the Yankees have decided to take that route.

That matters.

The team has not announced a major structural injury, and Judge himself did not characterize the situation as something catastrophic. MLB’s latest injury update lists the issue as right lower leg tightness and continues to monitor his recovery.

Still, the Yankees cannot afford to treat every physical warning sign as routine.

Judge’s 2026 season has already demonstrated how quickly a seemingly manageable situation can become a prolonged absence. His rib injury kept him out from late spring until September, costing him more than three months at a crucial point in the Yankees’ season.

Now, with October approaching, the goal is different.

New York does not need Judge to prove anything during the final days of September.

It needs him healthy enough to contribute when the postseason begins.

That creates a delicate balance between preparation and preservation.

Judge needs at bats. He needs defensive repetitions. He needs to regain the timing that naturally disappears after months away from major league competition.

But he also needs his body to tolerate those demands.

The Yankees have already seen the first sign that the process may require another adjustment.

For a team built around its captain, the next few days will be less about how many games Judge can play and more about how his body responds.

The postseason is finally here.

Now New York has to make sure its most important player actually arrives there healthy.