Yankees' Aaron Judge Makes Move Outside MLB on Friday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin Groe | Last updated Dec 5, 2025 5:53 PM ET

Superstar outfielder Aaron Judge individually had an excellent year for the New York Yankees in 2025. Although the team was eliminated in the divisional round of the MLB playoffs, Judge thrived in October. After struggling in recent postseason runs, he turned it up, posting a .500 batting average across seven games with 13 hits, one home run and seven RBIs.

Judge’s regular season was one of his best, continuing his reign of terror on opposing pitchers. He led MLB with a .331 batting average, a .457 on-base percentage and a 1.144 OPS, while also blasting 53 home runs and driving in 114 RBIs in 152 games.

Remarkably, the 33-year-old produced these numbers despite dealing with a right elbow flexor strain that limited his defensive abilities in the outfield.

Individually, Judge collected plenty of hardware, earning American League MVP honors for the second straight year, along with a Silver Slugger and All-MLB First Team recognition.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

As Judge enters the offseason, he has continued to stand out as one of the league’s most prominent figures. On Friday, he received a prestigious honor when he was selected as a draw assistant for the FIFA World Cup, joining NFL legend Tom Brady, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal and NHL legend Wayne Gretzky on stage.

Judge helped pull team orbs from seeded pots to determine groups, working alongside the other North American sports icons to bring star power and attract a wider audience to the event in Washington, D.C.

MLB highlighted Judge’s appearance on social media, underscoring his growing appeal to a national audience as one of the league’s defining faces. “Aaron Judge assisted in drawing the group stage matchups for the 2026 World Cup ⚽️,” the league wrote on X.

Aaron Judge assisted in drawing the group stage matchups for the 2026 World Cup ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/w38qhieQPK
— MLB (@MLB) December 5, 2025

Judge made his MLB debut with the Yankees in 2016 and immediately established himself as one of the game’s brightest stars, winning American League Rookie of the Year in 2017 in his first full season. Since then, he has built an incredible career that includes three MVP awards, seven All-Star selections and five Silver Sluggers.

His consistent dominance at the plate and leadership in the clubhouse have made him the face of the Yankees, embodying the tradition and expectations of one of baseball’s most historic franchises.

Judge was part of the team’s push to return to contention, but the ultimate goal remains clear. As the Yankees look ahead, he is determined to deliver a championship to New York for the first time since 2009.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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