Yankees Need Superstar Slugger To Stay Healthy For Successful Season

Would the New York Yankees be able to survive if their superstar sluggered were sidelined for any length of time this season?

Mar 20, 2025; Sarasota, Florida, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) looks on after he strikes out during the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

With the start of the regular season here for the New York Yankees, the franchise will be seeking a second straight trip to the World Series. 

After a lengthy drought by their standards, the Yankees were able to win the American League pennant last year and make the World Series. 

Even though they weren’t able to win the title, it was a very successful season. However, this is a team that is going to be looking very different in 2025. The loss of Juan Soto in free agency set off a domino effect for the franchise this winter. 

Despite the significant loss, New York deserves a lot of credit for an impressive pivot to other areas in free agency. 

Now, while the team will have a different look, they will have the same expectations. Whether they can live up to them or not with a lot of injuries to key players remains to be seen, but there is still some elite-level talent on the squad. 

Bryan Hoch of MLB.com recently wrote about the one thing that must go right for the Yankees being the performance of their captain, Aaron Judge. 

“They played in a World Series just a few months ago, and Judge believes this current group has what it takes to get back to the game's brightest stage. That all hinges on Judge continuing to perform like an MVP," he wrote.

As the reigning American League MVP, Judge has the ability to carry this offense, and he has proven that in the past. 

Simply put, when the two-time MVP is healthy, he is capable of making this one of the best offenses in the game. 

While he received a lot of attention for his 2022 campaign, the argument can certainly be made that last season was the best of his career. 

In 2024, he slashed .322/.458/.701 with 58 home runs and 144 RBI. While some might say that he was positively impacted by having Soto on the team, he was the one actually protecting the former Yankee in the lineup. 

However, while Judge is capable of leading this batting order to great things, New York has also seen the impact that could happen if he misses time. 

In 2023, after getting injured in Los Angeles, the lineup for the Yankees took a nose dive and they missed the postseason. 

It is imperative for New York to keep Judge healthy and in the lineup as much as possible this year. The move back to right field should help with some wear and tear. Furthermore, getting some more days at designated hitter, especially with Giancarlo Stanton out, makes sense. 

Overall, the lineup for New York will be just fine as long as their MVP is in the lineup.