5 key questions for the Yankees ahead of Wild Card Series vs. Red Sox

Here they go again.

For a second straight season, it will be Yankees vs. Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in an American League Wild Card Series.

The Yankees got past the Red Sox last October, two games to one. Cam Schlittler’s historic outing in the deciding Game 3, in which he struck out 12 in eight innings in a 4-0 victory, took his team into the next round.

Then, in the best-of-five Division Series, the Yankees’ season came to an end in a four-game loss to the top-seeded Blue Jays.

If the Yankees get past the Red Sox this October, it won’t be the Blue Jays waiting for them in the Division Series. It will be the top-seeded Rays, another AL East rival and a team that has long been a thorn in the Yankees’ side.

But first things first. First up are the Red Sox.

Five key questions (though there are more than that) entering the series, which begins Tuesday night at the Stadium:

1. Will Aaron Judge be on the roster?

Judge, placed on the injured list last weekend with a right calf strain, subsequently took umbrage when manager Aaron Boone said he did not “expect” to have his three-time MVP for the Wild Card Series.

Though much was made of Judge’s verbal slap-down of his manager — gentle as it was — parsing his actual words showed more distinction without a difference when it came to his return.

“If you ask me if I’m going to be back, I’m going to tell you, yeah, I’m doing everything I can every single day I show up here to get back and be ready to go,” Judge said.

“Doing everything I can” to get back isn’t the same as “Yes, I’ll be back.” And the reality with calf injuries — even the least severe strains typically require a player to miss at least three weeks — suggests that the odds of Judge being in the lineup come Game 1 remain long.

2. Any chance Giancarlo Stanton is back?

Stanton, who has not played since April 24 because of multiple calf issues, recently began running the bases and facing live pitching. Those are positive signs, and the presence of the righthanded-hitting Stanton on the wild-card roster could be huge, given Boston’s lefty-heavy pitching. But it would be asking a lot of Stanton, who hasn’t faced big-league pitching since late April, to have any degree of timing down for what likely would be a pinch-hitting role.

Then again, Stanton’s mere presence at the plate instills fear in opposing pitchers that few batters can match. If he is physically able, giving him a roster spot might be worth it for that alone.

3. Who starts Game 1?

That this is even a question, on the surface, is odd. Cam Schlittler has been the clear ace of the pitching staff and is likely to win the AL Cy Young Award in a landslide. Combining Schlittler’s Game 3 performance against Boston in 2025 with the fact that he followed that up by going 2-1 with a 0.74 ERA in four starts against his hometown team this season, the notion of someone else starting the pivotal first game of a best-of-three series has struck plenty inside and outside the organization of “overthinking” what seems an obvious decision.

But the Yankees may well end up going with Max Fried in Game 1, in part to give Schlittler, who would pitch Game 2, an extra day’s rest, and also because it could line up their rotation better for the ALDS against the Rays if they get that far. As good as Fried is, though, it’s fair to question the rationale of throwing anyone but Schlittler in Game 1.

4. What will the configuration of the 26-man wild- card roster look like?

The Yankees have a lot to sift through before officially submitting their roster to MLB late Tuesday morning.

Does Stanton make it? How about Trent Grisham? The centerfielder has been on the IL since Sept. 5 with a right hamstring strain but, like Stanton, has been facing live pitching.

Does Anthony Volpe, because he bats righthanded, make the roster? Volpe won’t be at shortstop — George Lombard Jr. will — but he’s looked good at second and just got a look at third during Friday’s doubleheader.

Is lefthanded-hitting Ryan McMahon, mostly a non-factor at the plate and struggling of late defensively, in danger of being left off?

Because of Boston’s lefty-heavy pitching staff and because the Yankees trust their starters to go deep into games, they could go with 10 pitchers and 16 position players for this round. That would give Boone as many options — whether it be for pinch hitting, pinch running or defensive purposes — to fire off the bench as possible.

5. What is the state of the bullpen?

One advantage of the Yankees’ loss in the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Rays was that it brought a quick end to their already long-shot-at-best division title hopes. That allowed the Yankees to treat the rest of the week as meaningless — insofar as game results went — with a large part of that giving high-leverage relievers Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn and David Bednar limited action to best rest them heading into the playoffs.

Headrick, who entering Game No. 162 on Sunday led the bullpen with 81 appearances (Tim Hill was next with 67) in particular appeared gassed at times during the last month.

The unit, among the best in the majors throughout the season, will get reinforcements. Will Warren will be shifted into the bullpen, as will, it appears, Carlos Rodon, assuming the Yankees go with Gerrit Cole for a deciding Game 3 (though in evaluating how the two have pitched down the stretch, Rodon on merit should get strong consideration for that start).

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.