Aaron Judge enjoyed his best postseason in seven years last October, as he recorded a 1.273 OPS and seven RBIs in seven games, but New York Yankees fans still did not get to see all that he has to offer. The three-time American League MVP suffered an elbow injury in the summer and was unable to regain his top form in the outfield. Now, following a long offseason, he is prepared to let it rip in right.
“I haven't had any issues so far,” Judge told reporters at the Yankees' spring training facility in Tampa, Florida, per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. “I think we're ready to go. I'm throwing out there confident, thrown to the bases a couple times already. No worries. Excited to get back out there and just have that confidence.”
Judge returned after spending just a 10-day stint on the injured list, but he needed more time before grabbing his glove. The future Hall of Famer wound up playing only 95 games in right field during the regular season. The five-time Silver Slugger moved back to his regular post in September to give the Yankees lineup flexibility (Giancarlo Stanton needed to be at DH), but his elbow was obviously below full strength. He is intent on being a defensive asset in 2026.
“The toughest thing for me last year was that the pitcher is working his butt off and the guys around me are working their butt off, and the ball is hit to me and I had no shot,” Judge said. “Excited to get back out there and do my thing.”
Aaron Judge says he has “no worries” about his elbow. #Yankees pic.twitter.com/3LNMUrNrlx
— Brendan Kuty 🧟♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) February 16, 2026
The seven-time All-Star is one of the best hitters of his generation and needs only 32 home runs to reach 400 for his career. But he is also a valuable fielder when healthy.
Judge has 56 defensive runs saved and 16 outs above average through 10 seasons, according to FanGraphs. While it will be difficult for him to maintain such a standard in his age-34 campaign, No. 99 expects to carry his weight in right field.
Fans will pray to the baseball gods that he avoids any setbacks, for they know how dangerous a fully unleashed Aaron Judge can be.




















