Baseball is a game of ups and downs, and Aaron Judge has been in a sharp decline recently. However, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone remains unfazed by the slump.
Following the Yankees’ 2-1 defeat to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, a reporter highlighted Judge’s 12-game home run drought and sought Boone’s insights. Boone acknowledged that Judge, who is 32, is currently off his game but is confident he will soon return to form.
“Saw a couple smoked balls today…not much different, just probably missed a couple pitches that when he’s really rolling [he] sticks in the seats,” Boone remarked. “But that’s just a matter of an at-bat and back to rolling, and he’ll hit them in bunches. [He’s] not far off at all.”
Just weeks ago, Judge was on track to set a career-high with 63 home runs. Achieving this now seems improbable, as he would need to hit 12 home runs in the final 19 games of the season — a challenging feat even for the 6-foot-7 outfielder.
Judge’s recent struggles extend beyond his power; he is hitting .208/.364/.434 over his last 15 games. Consequently, he has lost significant ground in the batting title race, which could have led to a potential triple crown. On August 21, Witt was hitting .350 compared to Judge’s .334. Although Witt is now hitting .336, Judge’s average has dropped to .321.
Despite these personal setbacks, the timing could be advantageous for team success. The Yankees are holding a narrow half-game lead in the AL East, and with Judge likely to regain his form soon, they might have enough strength to maintain their lead.
