Aaron Judge makes honest admission about how Yankees are coping without Juan Soto

Modified Mar 30, 2025 05:19 GMT

World Series - New York Yankees v Los Angeles Dodgers - Game 2 - Source: Getty — New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge (left) and Juan Soto (right) during the latter's time in the Bronx (Getty)

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge got candid when asked about the impact of Juan Soto's departure from the squad on Saturday. The Yankee captain then responded by admitting that nobody can replace the Dominican superstar. However, Judge also noted that the additions that the team made in the offseason will be able to carry the squad and fix the issues they encountered last year.

In Soto's lone season for the Yankees, he recorded 41 home runs with 109 RBIs. Soto also led the American League in runs scored with 128 and generated an fWAR of 7.9. This led the New York Mets to hand Soto the richest contract ever given to a sportsperson as they gave him a 15-year, $765 million deal.

Expand Tweet

"Nobody can replace Soto. He's one of a kind," said Judge (0:12-0:14)

Aaron Judge spoke to the media after the shellacking that they gave to the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday afternoon. The Bombers dropped a record-setting nine home runs in the game as the match finished 20-9.

Though Soto has left the squad, Judge expressed enthusiasm with the team's new additions, such as former MVPs Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt, along with elite pitchers such as Devin Williams and Max Fried.

"I think with the guys we added, we were able to fill some holes that we probably had last year. We added some more depth. You have a guy like Bellinger who you can throw at first and play the outfield positions as well. We have Paul Goldschmidt who is a professional bat from the right side." (0:15-0:40)

Aaron Judge records three-home run game as Yankees demolish Brewers

Aaron Judge's bid for another AL MVP award and home run title is off to a great start this season. The Yankee captain smacked a total of three home runs in the dominant win against the Brewers at home.

Expand Tweet

Judge opened his account in the first inning by hitting a towering solo shot off former teammate Nestor Cortes Jr. He then followed it up in the third inning with a grand slam for his second homer of the day. And finally, he hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning to push his tally to three on the day. He finished the game by going 4-for-6 with three home runs, eight RBIs, and 14 total bases.

Per baseball statistician Sarah Langs, Aaron Judge is now just one game away from tying Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig for the most three-run home run games in Yankee history. Judge is tied with Alex Rodriguez and Joe DiMaggio with three, while Gehrig has four.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

Know More

Edited by Brad Taningco