Aaron Judge unleashes power surge while Yankees manager praises his plate adjustments

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has had a slow start to spring training, but it appears he is getting ready for the regular season. Manager Aaron Boone isn't bothered about Judge being ready for the season opener, but he also likes to see the MVP have some success in exhibition games.

On Saturday, Judge finally belted his first spring training home run, to the delight of Boone and the Yankees fans in attendance. After the game, Boone and Judge spoke to MLB reporters about what the home run might mean for the All-Star.

“I like seeing him do that,” Boone said. “It’s definitely good to see the captain break out his home run trot.”

Boone has seen Judge make that home run trot many times throughout his career, including 58 times during the 2024 season. Judge led the Yankees to the World Series, and Boone believes that his star is starting to get himself ready at the plate.

“I think he tries different things, tinkers with things throughout the spring,” Boone said. “The last several games especially, he’s winning a lot of pitches. I thought today he got some good swings off, too.”

Judge is a nightmare for opposing pitchers, especially given the damage he can do with a mistake, just like he did on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Aaron Judge sends stern message to MLB teams ahead of 2025 season

Aaron Judge helped get the New York Yankees to the World Series in 2024, but the team ultimately fell in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. There are some new teammates surrounding Judge in 2025, but the captain spoke about the goals remaining the same.

"It's still kind of the same thing [heading into the new season]," Judge said. "We got a goal here when we play in New York, it's about winning the championship. We came close last year, we got a chance to go to the dance, didn't finish the job. But, everyone in this room's motivated to get back there and rewrite the script."

Judge will have to play this season without Juan Soto after the All-Star outfielder signed a deal with the New York Mets in the offseason. The Yankees still have a loaded lineup that is good enough to get back to the postseason, and this time Judge hopes that they can win a title.