Aaron Judge Shut Down for Regular Season as Yankees' Injury Nightmare Continues

Aaron Judge is officially done for the regular season. Bob Nightengale dropped the news on Friday night that the Yankees captain is heading back to the injured list, effectively pulling the plug on his September.

Losing your 6-foot-7 cheat code is bad enough, but the Yankees' medical report is currently reading like a CVS receipt. When your best player goes down right before October, it is time to smash the panic button.

"Bob Nightengale reported: 'Aaron Judge back on the IL for the remainder of the regular season.'"

Judge was pulled for a pinch-hitter back on September 16 against the Minnesota Twins with what the team called right lower leg tightness. Fast forward a couple of days, and that tightness has officially sidelined him until the playoffs.

The 88-64 Yankees are already trying to survive without Giancarlo Stanton and Jazz Chisholm Jr. Taking Judge out of the mix turns a terrifying lineup into a group that opposing pitchers might actually want to face.

This completely scrambles the American League playoff picture and the daily betting markets. New York is heading into a weekend series against the 80-73 Arizona Diamondbacks, and suddenly those run-line odds look a lot more volatile without a guaranteed home run threat in the middle of the order.

The regular season is officially a wrap for the captain. Now the only question is whether this lower leg issue heals up in time for the postseason, or if the Yankees are about to march into October with a roster held together by duct tape and vibes.