Former MLB GM Says Names Yankees Slugger as Key to World Series Run

It’s no secret the New York Yankees offense has been lost without captain and three-time American League MVP Aaron Judge.

But with Judge on the mend, the Yankees are fully capable of winning the World Series — which is why Jim Bowden of The Athletic named the Yankees’ captain their postseason X-factor on Thursday.

Judge has, of course, been out since May 31 while dealing with a stress fracture in his rib. He has started taking dry swings and could begin hitting off live pitching soon.

Aaron Judge Named the Yankees’ X-Factor

The Yankees have a 99.7% chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN, and their 35-32 record without Judge this year is a testament to their elite pitching. Judge’s broken toe in 2023 started a three-month stretch in which they went 27-43 and missed the playoffs.

But the Yankees’ offense has been abysmal without their captain, and if they want to get back to the World Series — and win the title for the first time since 2009 — they need a healthy and effective Judge.

“When Judge is in the Yankees’ lineup, we all rise as we witness one of the greatest players and home run hitters of this era,” Bowden wrote. “When he’s not in the lineup, we all sit and watch the Yankees’ offense rank among the worst in baseball.”

The Yankees have scored just 254 runs since Judge went on the IL, an average of 3.8 runs per game entering play Thursday. But the Yankees will need him ramped up and ready in time for October.

“Judge needs to get healthy by September and get back to form for New York to be a World Series threat,” Bowden wrote.

Aaron Judge Alone Can’t Fix the Yankees’ Offense

Judge’s presence will make Ben Rice’s life easier, since Rice had been in a prolonged slump he appears to finally be breaking out of.

But Judge is slashing just .236/.346/.476 with 17 home runs and 91 strikeouts in 293 plate appearances in 65 career postseason games. He has yet to carry the Yankees’ offense through a postseason run and has been notoriously less selective, walking just 40 times (13.6%) far less than his career walk rate of 16.3%.

Much of Judge’s success in the playoffs came last year too, when he batted .500 with a 1.273 OPS in seven playoff games. But even that didn’t help the Yankees overcome the Toronto Blue Jays, who of course ended New York’s season in four games in the ALDS.

If healthy, the Yankees’ lineup is even deeper than last year’s and in a great position to support Judge this October. Rice has been an MVP candidate this year after his breakout 2025 season, and he, Cody Bellinger and Luis Garcia Jr. offer powerful lefty bats that can strike fear in opponents’ hearts.

Plus, Judge’s lengthy break could leave him fresh for the postseason, especially since he isn’t being weighed down by the pressure of carrying the Yankees’ offense, which he primarily did in 2022 and 2025.

So even though Judge won’t win the MVP this year, Bowden’s belief that he is the Yankees’ most important player is correct. Yankees fans would trade a regular-season award for Judge to win the World Series MVP.

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