Aaron Judge raised more questions than answers when responding to an inquiry about his murky future with the Yankees.
Hours before taking the field at the 2022 All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, Judge was pressed in an on-field interview by ESPN’s Marly Rivera on his remaining time in New York and impending tough decision in free agency. Rivera shared a story of a young fan named Jacob, who asked her: “Are you telling me that Aaron Judge may not be a Yankee after this year?” She then asked the star outfielder what he would say to the boy.
Judge did little to ease little Jacob’s concerns.
“Jacob, buddy, we got a lot of great Yankees on this team, you know, there are a lot of great Yankees [that will] be here for a long time so don’t be upset,” Judge said.
Moments later, the 30-year-old issued an ominous forecast into his looming outcome.
“Hopefully you’ll be a Judge fan for life.”
Judge’s stumbling dance around the question comes amidst the superstar’s best season of his career – the slugging outfielder currently boasts an MLB-best 33 home runs and a .284/.364/.618 slash line. His MVP-caliber first half looks even better when turning the clock back several months ago to when Judge heavily bet on himself, rejecting the Yankees’ seven-year, $213.5 million extension offer in April.
For now, Judge remains a Yankee and an integral part of the team’s championship hunt. As for Jacob and many other Yankees fans, it seems they’ll have to endure one more sleepless night of uncertainty.
