On Thursday, New York athletes will be able to compete at home regardless of vaccination status. This breaking news obviously stood out for Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets since he has only been able to play on the road this season. However, it is a major factor for the Mets and Yankees as well. There is a very good chance that both team's 2022 seasons may have been ruined had the mandate rule stayed in affect. The announcement was felt all across the city and Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge shared his thoughts on the news.

“I’m happy Kyrie can play some home games.”

This response is eye-opening in a lot of ways. It was reported that the Yankees had three unvaccinated players and Judge was believed to possibly be one. However, nobody knew for sure who was and who was not vaccinated. But it is possible that Aaron Judge was indirectly referring to himself in the above statement. At the same time, he may just be genuinely happy for Kyrie Irving.

In the end, the Yankees, Mets and Nets will all benefit from the relaxed vaccine mandates without question. The Mets reportedly only had a 55 percent vaccination rate last season. While that number certainly has gone up since then, there is no telling how many players might have been unable to play at home.

The New York Yankees open the regular season at home against the their dreaded rivals, the Boston Red Sox. Aaron Judge and the team will look to take care of business at Yankee Stadium to kickoff the 2022 MLB campaign.

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