It's time for Aaron Judge to get back to his old self
Aaron Judge of the Yankees looks on against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium on Friday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Before any examination of Aaron Judge’s offensive performance, it’s worth starting with a disclaimer: this is all relative, viewed through the prism of a two-time MVP universally accepted as the planet’s most dangerous hitter.
But the Yankees’ relentless plunge since June 13 just so happens to match up with Judge’s own bout with being human over that two-month malaise.
Coincidence? Probably not.
On Monday night, the Yankees did what they usually do to the Twins, the only suspense being the final score: this time it was a 6-2 victory, fueled by four solo homers from Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton, Ben Rice and Jazz Chisholm Jr.
The fact that nearly half the Yankees’ lineup homered, and Judge wasn’t among those who went deep is not what anyone would have expected. But Judge also hasn’t looked quite himself for a while now, and despite his RBI-single off Twins reliever Brooke Krinske in the seventh -- smashed through a drawn-in infield -- he clumsily whiffed in his two previous at-bats on a total of seven pitches.
Judge is hitting .170 (8-for-47) over his last 14 games, and a pedestrian .240 since June 13. Before Monday night, his .917 OPS over that 41-game stretch ranked 12th in the majors, between Randy Arozarena (.923) and Soto/Ramon Laureano (.901).
Previously, back when Judge seemingly was running away with the American League MVP, he was batting .392 with a 1.264 OPS during his first 67 games. Judge had 25 homers during that period, one every 11.96 plate appearances.
Since coming off the IL on Aug. 5, Judge (4-for-19) still doesn’t have an extra-base hit, and his last home run was July 23 -- a drought of 31 plate appearances, which feels like an eternity for him.
“Guys go through it sometimes,” manager Aaron Boone said before Monday night’s game. “I never think it’s far off with Aaron and I think that’s the case right now. I think it’s a matter of time before he goes on one of those Aaron runs and can carry the group a little bit.”
The Yankees didn’t need more than the insurance run Monday from Judge. Others did the heavy lifting. But without the captain’s usual muscle, their 20-31 record was the fifth-worst in the majors since June 13. Not surprisingly, their minus-31 run-differential over that stretch also was at the bottom, above only the Cardinals (minus-56) and Rockies (minus-108).
Before Monday’s breakout, the Yankees were hitting .234 since that mid-June cliff-dive (ranked 28th in the majors) with a .719 OPS (18th) while averaging 4.51 runs per game (tied with the Angels for 13th). Just when everyone had finished patting GM Brian Cashman on back for spreading around the $760 million he didn’t spend on Juan Soto, his retooled lineup seemingly blew a gasket, and its main engine -- Judge -- began sputtering.
Judge’s 12 homers during the Yankees’ swoon was the same total as Jose Altuve and Jo Adell over that span, though he did play fewer games due to his IL stint with the right arm flexor strain. But that’s all part of the problem, as the Yankees clearly struggled to keep pace in the standings with a sub-optimal Judge, whether he wasn’t his intimidating self in the batter’s box or healing up on the sidelines.
“If I was 3-for-4, I’d think there’s always room for improvement,” Judge said after Sunday’s 7-1 loss to the Astros.
Since it’s easier to beat Judge arm-wrestling than get him to admit anything that could be limiting him physically, we’ll have to take his word that he’s mostly up to speed since missing games with the flexor strain -- or that the injury isn’t bothering him at the plate. Judge doesn’t have a timetable yet for when he’ll return to rightfield, but is now throwing at longer distances, and did so again before Monday’s game.
Obviously, getting Judge back in the outfield is crucial to maximizing the lineup’s production, as he’s currently clogging up the DH spot and forcing the mostly-immobile Giancarlo Stanton to risk life-and-limb patrolling the captain’s position. But above all, the Yankees desperately need Judge to be Judge again at the plate, ASAP.
Considering the Yankees had lost seven of nine before the Twins’ visit, Boone & Co. were no doubt anxious for Judge to hoist the team on his shoulders again, as he so often does during the regular season. But even Judge can’t do it alone. When asked Sunday about the state of spiraling Yankees, Judge acknowledged the losing has been a team-wide effort, and the need for tightening up fast.
“It’s going to take all of us,” Judge said. “Everybody in this room. We just got to step up. That’s what it comes down to.”
The Yankees find that much easier to do when Judge is single-handedly wrecking games. So it’s only natural for some doubt to creep in when the rest of the Yankees can’t lean on their MVP captain, which could help explain some of their overall slide since mid-June.
“I think we walk out there tonight knowing he is that guy and expecting that always with him,” Boone said before Monday’s game.
Judge isn’t that guy yet. And the Yankees won’t be the same without him back in MVP form, either.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
