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After start No. 14 — essentially half a season’s worth of work in which he has more than held his own — Zac Thornton received an endorsement and a challenge. 

“I do think this is who he is,” interim manager Andy Green said after Thornton impressed again in a 6-3 win over the Phillies in front of 29,764 at Citi Field on Friday. 

But. 

“We don’t hand you a job next year because you had 14 good starts,” Green later added, showing the player-development-executive side of himself who knows how to motivate. 

The Mets probably are not yet writing Thornton’s name in ink among next year’s starting rotation, but with each start his case has grown stronger. 

The lefty does not have elite stuff but competes with what he has in the strike zone and, so far at least, rarely loses. Against an imposing, likely playoff-bound lineup, Thornton allowed just two runs on five hits and a walk in six strong innings.

He has pitched twice against Philadelphia and has turned in two quality starts. 

All from a pitcher without major prospect hype and who strains to throw 95 mph and yet owns a 3.40 ERA largely due to his aggression: He has walked two or fewer hitters in 13 of his first 14 starts, joining Mike Bruhert as the only pitchers in franchise history to do so. 

“It’s great just to prove myself right,” Thornton said after his eighth quality start, “prove a lot of others wrong.” 

As Green made clear, he will have to continue proving himself. The interim manager challenged Thornton, who is “185 pounds soaking wet,” to gain weight this offseason and watch the velocity tick up with the extra pounds.

There is another level Thornton can reach, Green said, if he wants to ensure he slides in with Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and whomever else in next season’s rotation. 

Even so, this version of Thornton is pretty good — his arm and his glove, which sparkled in the fifth when Trea Turner hit a tapper toward first base. 

Thornton raced toward the line as first baseman Brett Baty gave up chase and stood with his foot on the base. Thornton did not quite grab the ball but instead shoveled it — fielding and tossing in one swift motion before tumbling into foul territory — for a bounce pass to Baty, who scooped it to retire the speedy Turner for the second out of the top of the fifth. 

Thornton hit the dirt hard and was checked by a trainer, but the Mets were thankful there was no further reminder of the Jared Young incident a night prior. Thornton shook himself off, threw a warmup pitch, and then struck out Bryce Harper swinging, allowing himself a fist-pump as he walked off the field. 

“Pretty typical for him,” Green said of a pitcher who is trying to prove that this, indeed, is typical for him. “Just on the attack the whole day.”

LOS ANGELES — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was in good spirits as he sat at the podium beneath Dodger Stadium on Friday, Sept. 18. His team returned home as National League West champions for the 13th time in 14 years after their 8-2 rout of the Cincinnati Reds to end their road trip.

They also entered Friday's series opener against the San Francisco Giants with a four-game lead over the Atlanta Braves for the No. 2 seed in the NL and sat just two games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the top seed with just nine games to go before October.

But perhaps taking priority over chasing playoff positioning, Roberts expressed confidence that the Dodgers could finish the season relatively healthy with both Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell progressing well in the final two weeks of the regular season.

"I think it's about winning games, all the while ... getting our players back to health. But I think they can go hand in hand," Roberts said. "We have a lot of good players that are more than capable of helping us win baseball games and at the same time, making sure we try to get our best players to optimum health when the postseason starts."

Ohtani, who has been rehabbing at home while the Dodgers were on the road, swung a bat for the second time since landing on the 15-day injured list on Sept. 8. The two-way superstar took another step forward in his hitting progression as he took batting practice off of coach pitch and came away feeling good, per Roberts. While the Dodgers' skipper acknowledged "he's not there yet" as far as facing live pitching, that would be the next hurdle for Ohtani to clear before returning to the lineup.

In a fairly lethargic game, the Mets defeated the Phillies 6-3.

Zac Thornton started for the Mets, and hit Kyle Schwarber with a pitch, putting the first runner of the game on first base. But Thornton buckled down, striking out Treat Turner and Bryce Harper and then inducing a ground out from Luis Arraez.

The Mets teed off on opener Tim Mayza. Francisco Lindor led off the game with a double, and was pushed to third by a Bo Bichette single. Carson Benge then singled, scoring Lindor, and putting the Mets up 1-0.

Mark Vientos walked, and that would do it for Mayza. José Urquidy came in next and, aside from allowing a two-run single to A.J. Ewing in his first at-bat, settled in nicely. Urquidy went four and two-thirds innings, giving up no runs on five hits, while striking out six.

The Phillies got a run back in the bottom of the second when Bryston Stott doubled off of Ewing’s glove in center field, scoring Edmundo Sosa. That would do it for the scoring until the top of the sixth, when Sosa hit a solo home run to left-center field.

Thornton continues to impress, going six innings and allowing those two runs on five hits, while walking one and striking out five.

In the bottom of the sixth, with two on, Juan Soto hit a towering home run to right-center field, pushing the lead to 6-2. That was Soto’s 26th home run of the year which, considering how long he was on the shelf for, is impressive.

Derek Hill hit a solo dinger off of Nate Lavender, who was otherwise solid in his one and two-thirds innings of work. Dedniel Nuñez pitched the last inning and a third, and was perfect against those four batters.

Tomorrow, otherwise known as Carlos Beltrán day, will see Christian Scott face off against Andrew Painter at 4:10pm.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big winner: Juan Soto, +18.0% WPA

Big loser: Brett Baty, -4.0% WPA

Total pitcher WPA: +21.0% WPA

Total batter WPA: +21.0% WPA

Teh aw3s0mest play: Juan Soto’s three-run home run, +20.9% WPA

Teh sux0rest play: Edmundo Sosa’s solo home run, -11.0% WPA

The Athletics opened their final road series of the year against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night. The A’s offense faded after a strong first inning, while starter Mason Barnett and the bullpen combined to allow five unanswered runs in a 5-3 defeat, giving the A’s their 93rd loss of the season.

A’s Strike First

The A’s offense wasted no time against Guardians opener’ Daniel Espino. Center fielder Henry Bolte and right fielder Lawrence Butler walked. With one out, left fielder Zack Gelof hit his 19th home run of the season, a three-run shot to right center that put the visitors up 3-0 before the hosts got a chance to bat. That was the A’s first and only scoring chance of the game.

Barnett Navigating Traffic

Recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to start today’s game, A’s right-hander Mason Barnett’s command problems presented themselves immediately. The Guardians loaded the bases in the bottom of the first on a pair of walks and a single. Cleveland failed to score, however, as Barnett got second baseman Travis Bazzana to ground into an inning-ending double play.

In the bottom of the second, the Guardians loaded the bases against Barnett for the second time in as many innings. Once again, the hosts failed to score as Barnett struck out Jose Ramirez to end the inning. The A’s right-hander needed 54 pitches to navigate two traffic-filled, scoreless frames.

Guardians Comeback

Espino pitched just one inning before left-hander Joey Cantillo replaced him. The Guardians’ southpaw neutralized the A’s offense, throwing six scoreless innings while facing just one batter above the minimum. His strong performance on the mound gave his teammates time and confidence to mount a comeback.

Cleveland finally scored off Barnett in the bottom of the fourth inning. After two singles to open the inning, shortstop Brayan Rocchio’s two-RBI double cut the A’s lead to 3-2. Ramirez hit an RBI single to drive home the game-tying run and send Barnett to the showers.

The A’s right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits and four walks over 3 1/3 innings. He was fortunate to allow just three runs given the number of baserunners Cleveland put on early in the game. Fellow right-hander Scott Blewett replaced him and stopped the bleeding to keep the game tied.

A’s Bullpen Continues to Struggle

Blewett remained in the game for the fifth inning, but he did not fare as well. Bazzana put Cleveland in front for the first time this evening with his 15th home run of the season, a solo-shot to right-center field.

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Ramirez hit his 12th home run of the season, a solo shot to right field against A’s reliever Seth Johnson that extended Cleveland’s lead to 5-3. That long ball was the third baseman’s 1,000th career RBI.

No Comeback Tonight

The Guardians’ bullpen prevented the A’s from mounting a comeback. Designated hitter Shea Langeliers came up as the game-tying run in the eighth inning against setup man Hunter Gaddis, but instead hit into the visitors’ second double play of the game. In the ninth inning, Cleveland closer Cade Smith quickly retired the side to secure his 38th save of the season.

The Green and Gold will try to snap their four-game losing streak and earn one final road win this season tomorrow afternoon. Left-hander Jacob Lopez will start for the Athletics, while the Guardians will counter with right-hander Tanner Bibee.

Two three-run innings surrendered by their problematic bullpen doomed the Philadelphia Phillies (85-69) in a 6-3 loss to the New York Mets (70-84) on Friday night.

Tim Mayza opened the game with a lead-off double to Francisco Lindor. He would get one out before leaving with an 0-1 deficit and the bases loaded. New recruit, Jose Urquidy came on in relief and and allowed a two-RBI single to AJ Ewing to make it 3-0 Mets after the first.

Urquidy looked like found money in the middle innings as he pitched four scoreless from the second through the fifth.

The Phillies would get on the board against Mets’ lefty starter, Zac Thornton, in the second as Edmundo Sosa singled and came home to score on a double by Bryson Stott to cut the gap to two runs.

Sosa got a double of his own in the fourth and homered in the sixth to make it a one-run game.

Orion Kerkering relieved Urquidy in the bottom of the sixth, notched two punch outs but put two men on with a pair of singles and left a meatball in the middle of the plate for Juan Soto to bash the game open with a three-run home run.

Derek Hill hit a solo shot with one out in the seventh to make it 6-3, but the next eight batters were set down in order without much resistance.

The Phillies mustered six total hits on the night, went 0-5 with runners in scoring position and the 1-5 hitters in the order combined to go 1 for 18 with just a single by Trea Turner and a walk by Kyle Schwarber.

Andrew Painter will face Christian Scott tomorrow afternoon in game three of the four game set.

The NL West division champions come home for their final regular season homestand.

The Dodgers (93-60) open a three-game series against the Giants (64-89) Friday night. 

Tyler Glasnow (4-1, 3.50 ERA, 0.97 WHIP) starts for the Dodgers, and left-hander Cesar Perdomo (0-1, 3.68 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) takes the ball for San Francisco. 

Lineups

Friday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Giants
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 7:15 p.m.
• TV: Apple TV
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The game started off so well for the Royals as they got out to a 4-0 lead after the top of the third. But the Pirates scored 8 over the remaining six offensive innings, and the Royals could only score 1 more. KC, therefore, fell to Pittsburgh by a score of 8-5.

Paul Skenes, in his first career start against KC, began well against the Royals. He struck out Carter Jensen and got Bobby Witt Jr. on a routine lineout to center. However, Vinnie Pasquantino was not intimidated by Skenes’ ace bona fides.

In the top of the third, the Royals struck again. Kyle Isbel got a one-out single up the middle, then Bobby lined a single to right. Vinnie came through again, this time with an RBI single. Maikel Garcia then got his first hit since returning from the IL earlier this week, a double into right field. Maikel was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple, but not before Vinnie scored the third run of the inning and gave the Royals what seemed like a reasonable lead.

On the other side, it was clear Randy Dobnak was not going to have his best night, despite getting to pitch in front of friends and family as the stadium is only a few miles from where he grew up. He danced around trouble in the first two innings but gave up a two-run bomb to Brandon Lowe in the bottom of the third. Michael Massey got one of those back in the top of the fourth.

However, Dobnak’s struggles continued in the bottom of the fourth inning. He ultimately gave up two more runs before being relieved by Connor Thomas, with Lowe coming back to the plate. Thomas retired Lowe with a strikeout, and the Royals clung to a 5-4 lead. Still, they’d been hitting Skenes hard all night. Surely they could get some more, right?

Right?

Nate Pearson, likely the Royals’ best current reliever, was tasked with pitching the seventh inning. Since coming to KC, Nate* had compiled a 1.57 ERA and 0.5 fWAR. Most on the team by anyone pitching in relief, except for Daniel Lynch IV. After giving up three runs tonight, unfortunately, that ERA rises to 2.63. Still good, but considerably higher. Pearson has now allowed at least one run in three straight appearances. He was battling his control in this one; he walked 1, hit another, and allowed 3 hits. He did strike out 2, but it just wasn’t enough.

*He really needs a good reliever nickname; anyone got any ideas? I’ve got bupkis so far.

On the bright side, Anthony Gose continues to make a case for a bullpen spot next year. I wasn’t sold even a week ago, but now he’s struck out 4 over 2 innings in his last 3 appearances. He has also given up 3 hits, so let’s not ink him to a multi-year deal, just yet, but there is some promise there. And, even better, Lucas Erceg was tasked with pitching the eighth.

We all know Erceg’s story, and I think most of us are hoping for the best for him. He impressed a lot of people in his first appearance back against Houston, but I wasn’t sure I was among them when I watched the replay. Watching live tonight, I’m sold. Pitching like this, he is going to mow some batters down. Sure, he didn’t strike anyone out, and he allowed a hit. But the hit was allowed after a filthy front-hip sinker was called a ball, making the count 2-0. Things probably go very differently if it’s a 1-1 count after that pitch. For that matter, Bryan Reynolds is credited with a double, and I can’t say he didn’t hit it hard, but I will say he was behind that pitch. If he’d been more on time, it’s probably an out because the Royals were playing him to pull. He was tunneling the sinker and slider with elite effectiveness, and none of the remaining three batters made particularly good contact. In fact, the inning-ending double play might have been in doubt if Ryan O’Hearn were a faster runner because it was hit so softly.

More important than whether the Royals won or lost this game are the things that can help them plan their roster for next year. The return of an unfair Lucas Erceg would be a huge boon for next year’s team.

The Royals will take another shot at the Pirates tomorrow evening; Noah Cameron (3.84 ERA, 4.13 SIERA) will face Bubba Chandler (4.28 ERA, 4.78 SIERA) at 5:40 PM Central Time. It should be a really fun pitching matchup.

P.S. I almost forgot about it my exuberance over Lucas Erceg’s elite arsenal on display tonight, but the Royals made an announcement about Jac Caglianone before today’s game. I expect I’ll write more about it early next week, when we know a bit more, but here are the details that were offered prior to the game via Joel Goldberg implications and Matt Quatraro responding clearly to Goldberg questions:

• Jac Caglianone was pinch-hit for last night because he hurt his hand. He did not hurt his hand on the field, but in the dugout. The implication is that he punched a wall or other inanimate object in frustration.
• Quatraro claims sole discretion over keeping Jac out of the lineup tonight. It was neither because of his previous arm injury nor the hand. This was Q making a call based on Jac’s behavior.
• Joel indicated that he didn’t believe Jac would have been held out of tonight’s contest if this was the first time something like this had happened.
• Jac Caglianone is supposed to speak to the media about the situation tomorrow.

I don’t know what Jac is going through. I do think it’s particularly concerning that the team has chosen to go so very public with the punishment and go so far as to pre-announce a time for the player to address it. Add that to Goldberg’s assertion that this has been a repetitive occurrence, and I am very concerned for the slugger’s mental health and well-being. I hope he is able to face whatever is leading him to behave so destructively and deal with it before things get even more out of hand.

The San Francisco Giants begin a three-game road series against the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight. Just a heads up that this is yet another Apple TV broadcast only.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be left-hander Cesar Perdomo, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.68 ERA, 4.19 FIP, with 11 strikeouts to four walks in 14.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 7-6 loss to the San Diego Padres last Saturday, in which he allowed five runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts and two walks in four and two thirds innings.

He’ll be facing off against Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.50 ERA, 2.93 FIP, with 77 strikeouts to 21 walks in 61.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Dodgers’ 4-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday, in which he allowed four runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and four walks in four innings.

Game #154

Who: San Francisco Giants (64-89) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (93-60)

Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California

When: 7:15 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: n/a

National broadcast: Apple TV

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

The Mets (70-84) defeated the Philadelphia Phillies (85-69) by a score of 6-3.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Mets left-handed starter Zac Thornton plunked leadoff batter Kyle Schwarber on a 3-2 count to get the game started. The rookie battled back, striking out Trea Turner and Bryce Harper before Mets first baseman Brett Baty made a diving stop on a Luis Arraez grounder down the line to put away the third out.

-- Southpaw Tim Mayza served as the bullpen opener for Philadelphia, and Francisco Lindor jumped all over him with a leadoff double. With one out, Bo Bichette worked a 10-pitch at-bat, culminating in a single to center field which moved Lindor up to third base. Carson Benge kept the line moving and drove in Lindor with an opposite-field single. Mark Vientos was walked to load the bases, and Phillies manager Don Mattingly pulled Mayza for right-handed reliever Jose Urquidy. A.J. Ewing roped an Urquidy fastball for a double, which scored two runs. Urquidy retired the next two Mets batters to limit the damage to three runs.

-- In the second inning, Ewing got turned around on a deep line drive to center, failing to haul in the RBI double for Bryson Stott, which cut the Mets' lead to 3-1. In the bottom half of the inning, Juan Soto doubled into the left-center field gap with two outs, but Urquidy struck out Bichette to end the threat. 

-- With two outs away in the top of the sixth, Phillies left fielder Edmundo Sosa blasted a solo shot to left field, his third hit of the night. Excluding Sosa, Thornton allowed just two hits. He struck out four and walked one, allowing two earned runs across 87 pitches. 

-- Soto took a hanging breaking ball thrown by Phillies right-hander Orion Kerkering 428 feet for a two-out three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth. Soto's 26th tater of 2026 put the Mets up 6-2. 

-- Philadelphia center fielder Derek Hill responded with a solo home run off of Mets left-handed reliever Nate Lavender in the top of the seventh. Lavender persevered, retiring each of the next four batters he faced, before handing the ball to Dedniel Núñez to record the third out of the eighth. In the bottom half of the frame, Bichette grounded into a double play with the bases loaded. Núñez handled the ninth inning and retired the side to earn the first save of his season - and second save of his career - to seal the 6-3 win for the Mets.

Game MVP: Juan Soto

Soto notched his third game with multiple extra-base hits in September, going 3-for-5 with a double and a three-run homer. It was also Soto's third game of the season with at least three hits.

Highlights

Brett Baty makes the diving stop at first base! pic.twitter.com/dYNQHZpNTG

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 18, 2026

Francisco Lindor leads off with his 350th career double 💪 pic.twitter.com/bTYjE0P9Hq

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 18, 2026

Carson Benge drives in Francisco Lindor to open the scoring! pic.twitter.com/OGGXnjskoH

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 18, 2026

A.J. Ewing brings in two more for the Mets! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EZpvC8kYUo

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 18, 2026

A.J. Ewing makes the catch at the wall! pic.twitter.com/cbfAO0AXEB

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 18, 2026

A fist pump from Zac Thornton as he strikes out Bryce Harper! pic.twitter.com/533twEbBMX

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 19, 2026

ABSOLUTELY CRUSHED.

JUAN SOTO'S 26TH HOME RUN OF THE YEAR! pic.twitter.com/eRjdSk6A7z

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 19, 2026

What's next

The Mets play the Phillies in the third game of the four-game home series on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. on SNY. They will honor 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Carlos Beltrán.

New York will send out Christian Scott (3.76 ERA, 1.26 WHIP in 105.1 IP).

Philadelphia is set to start fellow right-hander Andrew Painter (5.54 ERA, 1.44 WHIP in 115.1 IP).

The mystery of Logan Webb’s sinker usage falloff might’ve been solved with the breaking news that the San Francisco Giants have placed their ostensible ace on the 15-day IL for a blister on his right middle finger.

Ah, that certainly feels like the best symbol for this entire season, to fans and players alike. A big ol’ middle finger. F and of us for caring and certainly trying.

His 2026 began with a dominant run through the World Baseball Classic, where he allowed just 1 run (a home run to Manny Ramirez’s son) in 8.2 IP (2 GS). His Spring Training was, perhaps, less successful (7 ER in 9.1 IP, 3 GS), but still showed the dominance that he carried last season when he led the league in strikeouts with 224. He struck out 10 and walked only 1.

But the regular season got off to a rough start when the New York Yankees had a lot of fun humiliating him (6 ER in 5 IP) on Netflix for MLB’s Opening Night special. But after that, he’d have a typical Webb run, posting a 2.64 ERA in his next 85.1 innings (13 starts). But rather critically, the run includes a 15-day IL stint for a knee problem that came after another 6-earned run affair (this one against the Padres in Oracle Park). That prompted me to consider the possibility that his best days were behind him.

In that post — which Webb’s on-field performance almost immediately nuked from orbit with a Pitcher of the Month Award-winning June — I pointed out that this is around the time when the players with as many innings as Webb has to this point in their career either begin to break down due to injuries or are able to stay healthy enough to continue pitching well into their 30s.

This is already his second injury trip when he was known for his durability. And, after that incredible June (0.71 ERA in 38 IP), he’d carry a 5.89 ERA (4.03 FIP) for the rest of the season (13 starts, 70.1 IP). He stacked a lot of “worst start of his career”s this season. That, plus the multiple injuries should be bright red flags going forward.

The blister is interesting, though. As mentioned up top, his sinker use had fallen year over year:

2021 — 37.8%
2022 — 32.2%
2023 — 33.2%
2024 — 39.7%
2025 — 33.6%
2026 — 29.4%

The sinker is a friction-y pitch to be sure and in blisters are a common issue for sinkerballers. There’s also the matter of… maybe the baseballs are the problem? It’s one of the liveliest home run seasons in recent memory, but MLB sees no link between a factory defect in the production of baseballs and this home run environment, according to this piece from July in The Athletic.

Rawlings told MLB in early February that in about 50 percent of baseballs shipped for the 2026 regular season and spring training, “some excess oil from the yarn inside the baseball filtered through the leather cover of the ball, creating some yellow discoloration,” the league said in its statement.

Seems like the stitching is one thing you don’t want to mess with for pitchers, especially sinkerballers.

So, the potential for a wacky baseball, the WBC component, a new pitching coach & staff, and the catcher changeout (though, Webb did blossom in June without Patrick Bailey) all could explain a lot of the lumpy performance around that one great month. But his age and mileage could, too. The knee injury seems like it’s more the result of innings pitched and the knee could also explain the baseball. Everything just being slightly off and the cumulative effect of all these tiny difference being one big turd of a season — for Logan Webb, anyway.

He ends the year 8-9 with a 4.31 ERA (3.45 FIP) in 160.2 innings (his lowest innings total since 2021). He hadn’t won fewer than 10 games in a season since 2020! His 3.1 fWAR is his lowest since 2020, too. It’s still good enough for top 25 in MLB at the moment, though (among qualified starting pitchers — he drops down a bit if you set the minimum to 100 IP). He was about as good as Kevin Gausman and Sandy Alcantara this season, and maybe Sonny Gray, too (3.2 fWAR).

It’s the kind of season that’s almost a bit too outlandish to fear and yet when you write it all down it’s not too surprising. Baseball does this to pitchers all the time. The real trick will be retaining hope that a long offseason and lockout of rest will bring him back to his 2024 & 2025 form for at least the next couple of seasons. He’s the perfect Giant.

PHOENIX — The New York Yankees, who have played without All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge for most of the season, are bracing themselves now for the possibility that their three-time MVP may not play again the rest of the season.

Judge, who just returned to the lineup after a three-month absence, is being placed on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain. The Yankees have no idea whether he can play again this season.

When asked if the Yankees expect Judge to return in time for the postseason, manager Aaron Boone was brutally candid and said, “I don’t know.’’

“I don’t have a timeline on it,’’ Boone said. “I can’t predict anything. … I mean, we have no idea, we’re in the early stages. We’ll just obviously treat it and see what transpires.

“Hopefully, we can have him be an option at some point.’’

The Yankees survived without Judge for three months when he was out with a right rib stress fracture, and went through stretches where their offense badly struggled, but they always believed Judge would return and come to the rescue. His return lasted just 6½ games. He left Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins, and underwent an MRI on Thursday that revealed the calf strain.

While the Yankees already clinched a wild-card berth and likely weren’t going to catch the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East title, they’re going to have to figure out a way to get through October perhaps without their greatest player.

“The reality is that we’ve had to play a lot of the season this year without him,’’ Boone said. “There’s no replacing a player as great as Aaron Judge, but you know we have high expectations that don’t change now. We have a lot of confidence in the people we run out there every day. We’re going to match up day in and day out, and the goal doesn’t change.’’

The Yankees kept telling themselves in the clubhouse Friday that they can still reach their ultimate goal of winning their first World Series since 2009, but without Judge, the battle just became a whole lot more challenging.