Aaron Judge (calf) told ESPN’s Jorge Castillo that he intends to be ready for Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series on Tuesday.

The declaration comes just a few days after Judge was placed on the injured list with a right calf strain last weekend. It’s a notable statement considering Yankees manager Aaron Boone said earlier on Wednesday that he does not expect to have Judge available for the Wild Card Series without ruling him out entirely. The 34-year-old franchise cornerstone’s status for next week’s Wild Card Series, which is a near-lock to be against the division-rival Red Sox, will be the biggest storyline in baseball leading into the postseason. It goes without saying that Judge will probably be on New York’s roster as a DH option for the three-game series, but it’s fair to question how ready he’ll be from a physical standpoint.