Aaron Judge Ends Power Drought With One Swing That Changes Things

In Tuesday night’s 9–1 win over the Twins, the captain launched a first-inning solo shot to right-center. It was not only his first home run since coming off the injured list, but his first extra-base hit since returning. 

It was home run number thirty-eight and the kind of jolt that changes a game and the vibes around Yankee Stadium

Judge’s last homer before this came on July 23 in Toronto, the day after he first felt the right-elbow flexor strain that ultimately put him on the 10-day IL. He tried to grind through it as DH, then shut it down. Since being activated on August 5, he’d been struggling,  living on singles, and hearing the questions about timing and feel. 

One good swing can answer a lot.

The rest of the night followed Judge’s lead. 

Anthony Volpe cracked a three-run homer in the second. Giancarlo Stanton, who is playing right field as Judge heals,  added a blast in the fifth and finished with four hits, his first four-hit game since 2023. Carlos Rodon did the heavy lifting on the mound, allowing one hit over seven crisp innings. The Yankees didn’t just win; they looked like themselves again.

Big picture, Judge’s power has to sit in the middle of everything the Yankees do. His presence changes pitch selection, lineup protection and how managers script late innings. When he isn’t a threat to drive the ball, opposing teams nibble elsewhere and the whole offense shrinks. 

So seeing him get back to crushing homers is a relief. 

Even with the recent lull, his season line remains elite. He has an average north of .330, an OPS over 1.100, and now thirty-eight homers. Those are the numbers of a hitter that set the tone. 

If this was the swing that unlocks his August, the Yankees just got their force multiplier back.