Judge missed 42 games after tearing a ligament in his right big toe when he crashed into the right-field fence at Dodger Stadium last June 3, a big reason the Yankees fell from postseason contention.
“It’s going to be I think a constant maintenance I think the rest of my career,” Judge said Tuesday. “Anything with injuries like that, you just got to stay on top of it so it doesn’t flare up again.”
The affable 6-foot-7, 282-pound slugger returned July 28 and wound up hitting .262 with 37 homers and 75 RBIs in 106 games.
“I keep getting hurt in right field, so I think that’s why they moved me to center field,” he said, drawing laughs at a news conference.
“I think it’s about playing smarter,” he went on, “understanding the field, understanding the dimensions. In that case, I thought I had one extra step and I didn’t in that situation, so that always goes back on me. I got to be a little smarter there. So, yeah, just like this year, I’ve got play smart. But, no, I don’t think they’ll be any cement bottoms of walls in center field.”
Judge hit 62 homers in 2022, breaking Roger Maris’ American League record of 61 in 1961. The Yankees batted a major league-low .202 during his absence last summer and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
“A lot of guys were embarrassed,” Judge said. “Kind of a wake-up call, and I think just collectively as a group we all kind of looked at each other and said this can’t happen again.”
In Judge’s first season as Yankees captain, the 82-80 record was New York’s worst since 1992 and its World Series title drought reached 14 years — the Yankees’ longest since the gap from 1978 to 1996.
“It still eats at me. It still bites in me,” Judge said.
Two months from his 32nd birthday, Judge has managed majestic statistics over eight major league seasons.
“Rookie of the Year, MVP,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “You need to win a title.”
Judge took on-field batting practice against Nestor Cortes alongside Juan Soto, the star outfielder acquired in December from San Diego going into his last season before free agency. Cortes struck out Soto three times, but Judge focused on Soto’s power over the day.
“A couple of the balls that he had out to left-center were how a right-handed guy hits it,” the righty-hitting Judge gushed. “He’s got such a great demeanor — the swagger.”
Boone plans to hit Soto and Judge second and third, though the order could switch at times, envisioning them both to have .400-plus on-base percentages. Judge hit second in 102 of 104 starts last year and 528 of 809 in his big league career but prefers to bat third this season, behind the lefty-swinging Soto.
“It might be a little old school-thinking on my part because some of the guys I’ve watched growing up, the best hitters are hitting third and the run-producers are hitting three and four,” he said.
Judge became the Yankees’ first captain since Jeter from 2003-14 after signing a $360 million, nine-year contract. He has evolved into a sterner role that Boone says requires Judge “having to be a little firm in certain situations.”
“There’s just been incremental gains in his leadership every year,” the manager said, “and maybe stepped up a bit more last year with actually now you are the captain of this team and there is responsibility that comes with that.”
Already a five-time All-Star, Judge has a .282 average, 257 homers, 572 RBIs and a .982 OPS.
“He is not only the face of our team, but I think certainly one of the faces of the game,” Boone said. “With good health, years from now he’ll start to have the longevity where you’ll see him start to pile up numbers that rival greats. We just have got to take care of the championship part of it.”
Judge says he’ll be judged by titles.
“My best season will be when we’re holding up that trophy,” he said.
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds right fielder Jake Fraley was activated from the 10-day injured list on Saturday.
He had injured his right shoulder while trying to make a diving catch June 23 against the New York Yankees.
An MRI revealed a partially torn labrum that will eventually require surgery. Fraley received a cortisone shot and will try to play through it for the rest of the season.