Good morning, New York. The Yankees open a postseason series against Boston with Aaron Judge still a game-time question, and the Rangers start their season in the same city tonight. The Giants, meanwhile, lost Brian Burns for the year and traded for J.J. McCarthy in a dizzying Monday reset.
October in the Bronx
Aaron Judge hasn’t played since Sept. 16, but after taking live BP Monday, he said: “I’ve been doing a lot of convincing, I feel like, so I’m going to keep doing that.” The Yankees have not committed to carrying their captain ahead of this morning’s 10 a.m. Wild Card roster deadline.
More at the door: Whether or not Judge is back, the Yankees also face decisions on Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham. Both have been taking BP and working out with the team and, as Boone put it, are “knocking on the door.”
Effectively wild: The roster calculus may hinge on the Yankees going light on arms—and keeping Boston in the dark. Still, Boone sees “no scenario” in which New York carries 13 pitchers, “maybe not even 12.”
Cam’s command: The Walpole, Mass., native and AL Cy Young frontrunner dominated Boston in last year’s winner-take-all Wild Card Game 3, striking out 12 without issuing a walk over eight shutout innings. The Yankees will need more of the same when he starts Game 1 tonight at 8 p.m. ET
Blueshirts in Boston
Just as the Yankees face the Red Sox in the Bronx, the Rangers are heading up I-95 to open their season against their Original Six rival, the Boston Bruins, at TD Garden at 8 p.m. They’re back in the real Garden on Thursday to host the Tampa Bay Lightning in their home opener.
Back to basics: After finishing tied for the third-fewest points in the NHL last season with 77, the Rangers are counting on longtime cornerstones Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad—along with captain J.T. Miller—to lead an otherwise reset roster.
Bottom’s up: One upside to finishing that low: it gave the Rangers the No. 5 pick—and the chance to add one of hockey’s top prospects. Alberts Smits, their 2026 first-rounder, has made the opening-night roster.
Next up: The Islanders open Wednesday in Toronto; the Devils host Philadelphia on Thursday, before meeting Saturday at UBS Arena.
Burns Out, McCarthy In
The Giants’ season took two turns Monday: Brian Burns tore his right ACL and will need season-ending surgery, while New York moved to bolster its quarterback room by acquiring J.J. McCarthy from Minnesota. The former No. 10 overall pick cost the Giants a 2027 fifth-rounder.
No easy counter: McCarthy addressed the void created by Jaxson Dart’s season-ending injury. There may be no comparable trade—or replacement—for what Burns provided off the edge.
Winston’s job—for now: Jameis Winston stays under center after Sunday’s win, but McCarthy is unlikely to remain a backup indefinitely. He needs time to learn the system, so there is no timetable for his first snap.
A move for now—and later: Underscore’s own Sal Licata sees the McCarthy deal as more than injury insurance: “This is not just a move for now. This is a move moving forward.” In the short term, he said, “the ceiling is higher.”
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On This Day:
On September 29, 1951, the Yankees clinched the American League pennant by beating the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, completing a late-season chase that put Joe DiMaggio back in the World Series in his final season. The Yankees went on to beat the Giants for their third straight title.
What to Watch
Red Sox at Yankees, Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock: Schlittler opens the Bronx-based sprint to two wins.
Rangers at Bruins, Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN: New York’s first regular-season test comes in Boston.