Player Outlook
Despite missing 56 games due to hip and toe injuries, Aaron Judge cracked 37 homers in 2023, finishing fourth in the American League. The stars aligned in his historic 2022 MVP season and nobody should expect that level of production again, particularly in the stolen-base department (his SB total fell from 16 to just three last season). That being said, Judge is arguably the most prolific power hitter in baseball, and he chased pitches outside the strike zone less than ever last season (career-low 22.5 O-Swing%). He returned to hit .245/.408/.557 with 18 homers and 53 walks in his final 57 games, and manager Aaron Boone said in August that Judge would not need offseason surgery on his right big toe. There is no questioning his hitting ability, though it's fair to question whether the hulking outfielder/DH can hold up to the rigors of a full MLB season as he approaches age 32. Judge has reached 150 games played only twice in his career.

Fantasy Stats

Year fpts
Fantasy Points
fpts/g
Fantasy Points per Game
r
Runs
hr
Home Runs
rbi
Runs Batted In
bb
Base on Balls (Walk)
sb
Stolen Bases
avg
Batting Average
2024 .000
2023 4073.8 79 37 75 88 3 .267
2022 713.54.5 133 62 131 111 16 .311
3y Avg. 5373.9 100 46 101 91 8 .290
Projections Powered by
Fantasy Performance by Week
98%
Roster
96%
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Fantasy News

  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Projected to play Wednesday

    Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Judge (abdomen) "should be good to go" for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates following Tuesday's team off day, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. Boone had previously projected Judge to rejoin the spring lineup this past Saturday, only for the Yankees to push back the slugger's return. With that in mind, Judge's status will still warrant monitoring Wednesday to ensure he is in fact playing against Pittsburgh. Judge has been slowed by the abdominal issue for nearly a week, but on a positive note, he was able to take part in some hitting work after an MRI returned negative. He took on-field batting practice Friday and Saturday, then hit off a tee and pitching machine Sunday. Judge didn't resume taking BP on Monday as expected, though he was spotted taking part in outfield drills. Boone's comments would seem to suggest that Judge's absence from batting practice Monday was merely just a late change of plans rather than the result of the 31-year-old experiencing any sort of setback during his recent workouts.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Doesn't hit on field as scheduled

    Judge (abdomen) participated in outfield drills but didn't take on-field batting practice as scheduled Monday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. The initial schedule Yankees manager Aaron Boone offered last week would have had Judge playing Monday in his second Grapefruit League game back from a core-muscle injury. Instead, Judge hasn't played in any games since suffering the injury, and his hitting work has been relatively limited. Judge doesn't seem to have suffered a setback in his recovery from the injury, but rather, the Yankees have decided to proceed more cautiously with the star slugger. Still, some concern about Judge's availability for Opening Day will linger until he returns to action and looks healthy.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Held out Monday

    Judge (abdomen) is not in the lineup for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. Judge hit off a tee, hit soft-toss pitching and hit off a pitching machine Sunday, and his abdominal injury sounds like something he would have played through in the regular season, but the Yankees are playing it safe with him right now. The Yankees are off Tuesday, so Judge will get a couple more days at least to rest without playing in an exhibition game. Trent Grisham starts in center field and will bat seventh Monday.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Takes part in more hitting Sunday

    Judge (abdomen) hit off a tee, hit soft-toss pitching and hit off a pitching machine Sunday, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports. Contrary to what manager Aaron Boone had predicted Wednesday, Judge didn't make his return to the Yankees' Grapefruit League lineup Saturday versus the Blue Jays, but the 31-year-old was still able to take some steps forward this weekend in his recovery from abdominal discomfort. He's been able to hit in some fashion each of the past three days, as he took live batting practice Friday and Saturday in addition to Sunday's workout. Judge has said that he would have been ready to play Saturday if the regular season was already underway, but the Yankees understandably erred on the side of caution with the slugger and held him out. He could draw back into the Yankees' spring lineup within the next few days.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Slated for BP

    Judge (abdomen) is expected to take batting practice Saturday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports. Judge is out of the Yankees' Grapefruit League lineup Saturday against Toronto, but he's not been shut down from activities entirely and will be able to get some work in. The slugger has stated he would be playing if it were the regular season, after a recent MRI on his abdomen came back negative.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Not playing Saturday

    Manager Aaron Boone said Judge (abdomen) will "probably not" play in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. Judge went through his normal workout routine and hit in a batting cage Friday, but the Yankees apparently won't return him to game action Saturday as previously expected. Boone also said Judge is "fine," per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, so the 2022 AL MVP could seemingly still play within the next couple days.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Hitting in batting cage Friday

    Judge (abdomen) will hit in a batting cage and go through his normal workout routine in the weight room Friday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. Judge had been slated for on-field batting practice but will hit out of public view instead. The slugger did not rule out playing in Saturday's Grapefruit League game for the Yankees. Judge hasn't played in a spring game since Sunday but remains optimistic that he will be ready to roll come Opening Day.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Not on BP schedule

    Judge (abdomen) isn't listed on the schedule to take on-field batting practice Friday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports. The 31-year-old is tentatively slated to return to the Grapefruit League lineup Saturday, but manager Aaron Boone had indicated he would need to hit Friday in order to be cleared to play. Judge could still swing a bat Friday in another setting, but any reps apparently won't be coming during batting practice.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Expected to do some hitting Friday

    Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Judge (abdomen/oblique) is slated to do some hitting Friday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports. Boone previously said that Judge was penciled into the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, but the 2022 American League MVP will first need to get through some hitting Friday before being cleared to start. Judge is dealing with what the team has referred to as an abdominal injury, although Pat Ragazzo of SI.com hears it's actually an oblique issue. The expectation is that Judge will be ready for Opening Day, but he can't afford any hiccups at this stage of spring training.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Battling oblique issue

    Judge is dealing with pain in his oblique and still has problems with his right big toe, Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reports. Judge missed nearly two months of last season due to a torn ligament in his toe, and his oblique injury comes in addition to the abdomen soreness that he reported Monday. It's unclear if Judge's injuries will prevent him from returning to Grapefruit League play Saturday against the Blue Jays as planned, but the Yankees still expect him to be ready for Opening Day.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Expected in lineup Saturday

    Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday he has Judge (abdomen) "penciled in" to the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports. Judge's availability for the start of the season was cast into some level of doubt when he was sent in for an MRI earlier this week, but the imaging revealed no serious injury to his abdominal area. The star outfielder was still advised to take a few days off before swinging the bat again, but assuming he checks out fine in his workouts Thursday and/or Friday, he looks like he'll draw back into the starting nine over the weekend. Fantasy managers who have yet to draft will still want to keep tabs on Judge's status in the coming days to feel more confident about investing in him late in the first round or early in the second round of drafts.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Undergoes MRI on abdomen

    Judge won't swing a bat until later this week after undergoing an MRI on his abdomen Monday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. The good news is that his MRI came back negative, but Judge will exercise caution in staying out of the batting cage for a few days, noting that "there's no real need to push it." Judge doesn't appear too concerned about the injury and still anticipates being ready for Opening Day. Still, his latest injury brings a cloud of uncertainty in the middle of fantasy draft season.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Out through Tuesday with soreness

    Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Judge is "mid-spring beat up" and is not expected to return to Grapefruit League play until Wednesday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. The skipper didn't elaborate any further as to what Judge is dealing with, but the fact that he expects him to be back in a couple days is a good sign. Judge -- who is expected to mostly play center field this season for the Yankees -- is 2-for-14 with a double in six games so far this spring.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Could play first base in emergency

    Judge worked out at first base over the offseason and hasn't ruled out playing there this season if he's needed, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports. Judge has worked out at first base before and played the position during his freshman season at Fresno State, so it's not totally foreign to him. That said, it seems like it would only happen in an emergency situation, with Anthony Rizzo set as the starter and DJ LeMahieu offering depth at the position. For fantasy purposes, Judge picking up first base eligibility would appear to be highly unlikely.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Toe will require maintenence

    Judge said Tuesday that his right big toe injury will likely require "constant maintenance" for the remainder of his career, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports. Judge suffered a torn ligament in the toe when he collided with the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium last June, an injury that wound up costing him about two months of action. The issue healed without surgery and Judge noted Tuesday that his toe feels good, but it sounds like it will take constant work to keep it that way. Judge is expected to see the majority of his playing time in center field this season, at least until Jasson Dominguez (elbow) returns.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: In line to bat third

    Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in an interview Friday with Foul Territory that Judge will "probably" bat third this season. Boone didn't commit to anything, but for the time being he's leaning toward putting Juan Soto in the two spot and Judge at three. Judge batted second for all but two of his starts last season, but an addition of a hitter the caliber of Soto requires some adjustments.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Toe injury 'resolved'

    Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday that Judge's toe injury is "a resolved issue," Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. Judge tore a ligament in his right big toe when he crashed through a wall June 4 at Dodger Stadium and spent about two months on the injured list, but it has healed on its own without surgery, and he should be 100 percent steering into the 2024 campaign. The 31-year-old slugger projects to serve as the Opening Day center fielder for New York, with recent trade acquisitions Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo flanking him in the corners. Trent Grisham will be an active fourth outfielder.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Could be everyday center fielder

    Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Judge being the team's everyday center fielder in 2024 is "in play," Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. Judge is still slated for right field duty as things currently stand, but the Yanks appear nearing a trade for Juan Soto, and Soto's addition would necessitate the move. While Judge has played plenty of center field over the last three seasons, he started just 16 games there in 2023 and missed a significant chunk of time with a toe injury. It certainly would not be the ideal defensive alignment, but the Yankees appear willing to deal with it in order to add Soto's bat.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Cranks two more homers

    Judge went 2-for-3 with two homers, four RBI and a third run scored in Wednesday's win over the Blue Jays. After Judge sat out of Tuesday's contest, he returned to the lineup with a bang Wednesday, driving in four of the Yankees' six runs with a pair of two-run homers. The 31-year-old outfielder now has five home runs in his last four games after hitting just one in his prior 17 contests. Judge is up to 37 homers on the season, tied for eighth-most in the league, despite spending nearly two months on the IL. He's batting .269 with a 1.029 OPS, 77 runs scored and 75 RBI across 445 plate appearances.
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  • Yankees' Aaron Judge: Steps out of lineup

    Judge is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays. The reigning AL MVP will head to the bench after a run of 22 straight starts, though his absence from the lineup isn't a surprise given manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Judge's spot in the lineup will be determined each day as he continues to play through a toe injury. There's no reason for the Yankees to push the 31-year-old during the final week of the season with the playoffs already out of the picture, though it's unclear at this point if the club is considering shutting Judge down entirely.
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