Aaron Judge Reflects on Yankees’ Struggles from the Dugout

While Aaron Judge’s return to the field is still a few weeks away, he has spent the last month observing the Yankees from the dugout. Last week was especially rough for the team—Judge himself described it as “not good.” He took the opportunity to share insights on what went wrong during the team’s seven-game losing streak.

“Honestly, I wasn’t concentrating enough,” Judge said Wednesday morning, speaking to reporters for the first time since being placed on the disabled list. “We have to remember our goal is to win the World Series. Every day we step on that field, that should motivate us. No matter the past fails, my job remains.” He added, “Before we step onto the field, there’s a sign we see: ‘Do your job.’ Everyone has their role to play.”

As the Yankees’ captain, Judge’s own return to duty is still uncertain. The two-time American League MVP didn’t disclose much about his injury, postponing further examination of his right rib for several weeks. This delay does leave room for some recovery and possible preparation for his return.

“We’ll update you once we have the images, but let’s not dive into that now. It’s a significant issue, but I prefer to have the complete story before discussing it,” he stated.

Despite Judge’s leadership, the Yankees face several challenges. Over their recent games, they managed only 17 runs on 31 hits while committing 10 errors, which led to 17 unearned runs—a clear sign of struggle in nearly every aspect of their game.

Interestingly, this difficult stretch followed an unusual moment when Jazz Chisholm Jr. was ejected during a game in Detroit after a disagreement, signaling some chaos within the team.

“Ah, we’ve addressed the lack of concentration, but it’s a topic we’ll discuss further as a team soon,” Judge remarked when asked about future expectations. He declined to provide specifics.

Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone echoed concerns about the team’s recent performance, calling it a “terrible week.” Yet, he didn’t wholly attribute issues to focus. “If we’re right, we’re a quality team. Yes, we’ve made mistakes, but we also have the capability to bounce back,” he pointed out. He mentioned that with Judge providing steadiness, especially in defense, the team would hopefully regain their footing.

Judge expressed frustration over not being able to contribute during tough times. “I hate missing games, especially when things aren’t going well. I want to be there, to work alongside my teammates and help us get back on track,” he concluded.