New York Yankees captain and All-Star slugger Aaron Judge still isn’t losing sleep over his offensive struggles even though the data suggests he’s going through more than just a standard slump this spring.
“It’s baseball,” Judge said after New York’s 7-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, as shared by Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. “I’ve had stretches like these plenty in the major leagues, plenty throughout my life. It’s part of it. I can’t sit here and dwell on it. It’s May. It’s a new month. It’s time to get going.”
Any signs from last weekend against the Milwaukee Brewers that teased Judge was about to “get going” proved to be little more than blips on the radar. Across four games in Baltimore, three of which the Yankees lost, Judge went 1-for-13 with four strikeouts. As of Friday morning, his batting average for the season had dipped down to .197. While he has recorded six home runs and 18 RBI across his first 33 games this year, he has also managed just a .393 slugging percentage. To compare, Judge finished the 2023 season with a .613 slugging percentage.
“It’s just swing at the right pitches understanding there’s times when they’re going to pitch around you and not give you much,” Judge responded when asked about his mindset during at-bats. “Take your walks when you can and when you get a pitch to drive, you can’t miss it. Right now when I’m getting that pitch to hit, I’m just missing it or hitting it into the ground. I made a couple adjustments and I’ll be right there.”
Perhaps Judge is still bothered by the sore core that caused him to sit out 10 spring training games in March. Maybe those who previously wondered if he would press while sharing a clubhouse with All-Star outfielder and new fan-favorite Juan Soto were right. Whatever is wrong, one doesn’t have to be a hitting expert to notice that Judge more often than not has yet to resemble the player who earned American League Most Valuable Player honors for the 2022 season.
“He’s just grinding right now to get there, and he will,” manager Aaron Boone said about Judge. “Someone’s going to pay big time. He’s gained some traction. He’s stacked some good days in a row. He’ll get it going. And look out when it does.”
The 2024 Yankees held records of 10-2 and 12-3 early in the season. Amid Judge’s woes, New York has fallen to 20-13 ahead of Friday’s series opener against the 18-13 Detroit Tigers.
