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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

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  Debate

Debate

Is Aaron Boone's faith in Aaron Judge justified, or is it time to worry?

Have you ever been in a spot where you feel stuck at work? Aaron Judge is experiencing something similar on the field, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone is all in to support his captain. Even though Aaron Judge is in the midst of what everyone thought would be a career-defining season—breaking the 50-homer milestone for the second time in three years and the third time in his career—things haven’t been sailing smoothly lately.

Since, late August, things haven’t quite felt the same for the Yankees’ beast Aaron Judge. The 32-year-old is now in a 15-game homerless drought, which is not only his longest dry spell of the year but also the longest stretch in his entire 8-season career. Pretty nerve-wracking, right? If you’re a Yankees fan, you might be feeling a bit anxious. But there is one silver lining to this situation, surprisingly, Aaron Boone has a refreshing confident take on Judge’s slump.

What’s Aaron Boone’s take on Judge’s slump?

Even though Judge is now on an 11-for-54 rut with just three extra-base hits, all doubles, and a .594 OPS, Boone has confidence that he will be hitting again soon! And looking at the stats, you must be wondering: Does this mean that the historic career-high season for the Yankees captain is over? Well, as per NY Post, Aaron Boone claimed, “It’s another historic season he’s (Judge’s) putting together.” Moreover, it seems that both the team’s manager and the player of the moment share more than just their names—they have a remarkable level of confidence.

Just before the New York Yankees’ 4-3, 11-inning win over the Royals in their home stadium, Judge talked about his slump, saying, “It’s just baseball.” Doesn’t it feel like he’s echoing his manager’s sentiments? But as we all know, Judge previously this season was hitting at .377 with an OPS of 1.349. But lately, his performance has dipped significantly. What could be the possible reason? Well, it all began after he collided with the center field wall in Washington while making an incredible catch against Andres Chaparro. But both Judge and Boone have reassured fans that he’s healthy and just dealing with some typical bruises.

So it’s safe to say the past two weeks haven’t been kind to either Judge or the Yankees. But fear not, because Boone feels Judge is going to be back at it again. Because he knows how to slam back “the last couple of weeks where he’s not dominating like his usual self. I’m confident he’ll get rolling,” Boone added; his argument can be right as the start of the 2024 season for Judge wasn’t as good either.

 Aaron Judge hoping to come back to his usual form

While this year has been Aaron Judge’s career-best season, it’s also been marked by a bit of a home-run drought. However, the 32-year-old has shown he’s got what it takes to bounce back from these funks. Let’s rewind to April when people were buzzing about Judge’s slow start. In his first 27 games, he hit just four homers and had a batting average of .178 with a .674 OPS. Can you imagine? Nobody at that time thought how this would flip soon to be one of his best seasons ever.

And then came April 27, the day Judge hit a homer and followed it up with another the very next day! That was the start of an epic 102-game stretch where he was able to hit 47 homers. Not just that; he even outpaced the incredible pace he set during his record-breaking 2022 season. This comeback quality and spin are unlike any other hitter in the game. So maybe, there are chances we will soon see him back in form, and even though he isn’t in his usual form yet, Judge is still one of the favorites to win another AL MVP. But there is another top player chasing for the same title.

That’s Bobby Witt Jr., who is stirring up excitement and making this MVP race interesting. The shortstop is on an impressive streak and is a big reason why the Royals are holding onto that second wild-card spot. As far as the Yankees go, it’s crunch time. To stay on top, they need their captain, AaronJudge, to snap out of his slump. After all, with the playoffs just around the corner and the Yankees having dropped eight of their last 14 games, it’s time to buckle up and bring the heat!

What do you think? Will Judge make it back to his usual form and lead the Yankees to victory? Drop your thoughts in the comments.