All Rise! Yankees Star Aaron Judge Hits 2 Home Runs in Spring Training Debut
It took Aaron Judge about two seconds to shake off the offseason rust.
In what was his 2026 spring training debut for the New York Yankees, Judge hit a two-run home run to center field in the third inning against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday afternoon. The next inning? He hit a two-run homer inside the left field foul pole.
Judge finished the day 2-of-3 before being deliberately removed from the game in the fifth inning.
Of course, Judge, a five-time Silver Slugger, is coming off a 2025 campaign that saw the superstar outfielder win a second consecutive American League MVP Award and third in four seasons. In the regular season, he totaled 53 home runs, 114 RBIs, a 215 OPS+ and 9.7 wins above replacement, while posting a .331/.457/.688 slash line and being intentionally walked 36 times.
Judge led the AL in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs scored (137), walks (124), OPS+, wins above replacement and intentional walks, among other offensive categories. He then totaled one home run and seven RBIs across New York's seven postseason games, while posting a .500/.581/.692 slash line.
As for where Judge — who has spent his entire nine-plus-year career in New York (2016-25) — stands in Yankees' lore, he's third in franchise history with a .615 slugging percentage, fourth with 368 home runs and a .413 on-base percentage and sixth with 62.3 wins above replacement.