KANSAS CITY, Mo. And on the 68th game, Aaron Judge rested. For the first time all season, the sizzling Yankees captain was out of the starting lineup as his team won their series opener with the Royals 4-2 at Kauffman Stadium. Trent Grisham made the start in center field and Jahmai Jones in right on a night Aaron Boone cited a late arrival the team flight having landed at about 3 a Joe Maddon Jersey .m. as well as the rigors of a long season prompting the manager to finally sit the superstar. Having played every day, you get to this time of year a little bit beat up, too, Boone said of Judge. This [game] is one I kind of had marked down. Aaron Judge sits for the first time this Yankees season on Monday, June 10 against the Royals. Robert Sabo for NY Post If it felt as if Boone was benching a god, well, theres reason for that. No one in baseball this season, including standouts whom Judge shared a field with this weekend from Shohei Ohtani to Mookie Betts to Freddie Freeman to even Soto, has risen to the level to which Judge has ascended recently. But Judge is not just outpacing many of this years best sluggers: He might be outdoing himself from two seasons ago. Explore More The first two-plus months of Judges season have been statistically stronger than the first two-plus months of Judges 62-homer 2022. It feels like its 2022 again, said Nestor Cortes, who has watched both seasons up close. Entering play Monday, Judge had played in all 67 games and owned a better OPS (1.139, up from 1.026 at this stage in 2022), batting average (.305, up from .301) and RBI count (59, up from 50) than his record-setting season. Through the Yankees first 67 games two years ago, Judge played in 65 and did manage one more home run (25) than he entered play Monday with (24). Only Judge can boast a 58-homer pace that is a bit shy of his personal best. I would say it kind of looks the same, Cortes said of 2022 and 2024 Judge. It feels like every at-bat were expecting a home run now, like it was in 2022. Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees hits a solo homer during the 8th inning when the New York Yankees played the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday, June 9, 2024. Robert Sabo for NY Post And at least on the periphery, the Triple Crown is in play. Judge entered play leading the majors in homers, was second (to Clevelands Jose Ramirez) in RBIs and was fourth in the AL in batting average, a stat led by series opponent Bobby Witt Jr. (.320). For a second time in his career, Judge might be better compared against ghosts of the past than his contemporaries. Except this time around, the 32-year-old is going head-to-head with the 30-year-old version of himself. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Everything is impre sive about Judges numbers, but the manner in which he has vaulted himself again in the discu sions of the best players in baseball going from chilly to scalding hot in a blink especially stands out. See Also It was only a little over a month ago that there was great wonder about what had happened to him. Judge was hitting .197 with six homers and a .725 OPS through his first 33 games, a span in which Soto took the reins and led the offense. Maybe it was an injury-shortened spring training; maybe Judge was the victim of inordinate bad luck; maybe Judge simply had not found his stroke yet. Regardle s of the reasoning, the following roughly five weeks has been remarkable. In 34 games since May 3, Judge had posted an inhuman 1.566 OPS with 18 home runs and .540 on-base percentage. In the past week, Judge entered play hitting .500 (10-for-20) with three homers, 12 RBIs, a 1.200 slugging percentage and .630 OBP in six games, which added up to a nod for AL Player of the Week. Obviously hes playing out of this world, Boone said. I never like him out of the lineup, of course. But I feel like he needs a day. Judge, at 32, is again flirting with the type of history he made at 30. He has to slow down at some point, right? He takes good care of his body and prepares very well, Cortes said. I dont think hes going to downgrade from what hes doing for a while. What hes doing is impre sive and hard to sustain. But if theres a guy who can do it, its him. Colin Poche Jersey
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