New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge finally got his long-awaited rest. The player is on a phenomenal streak of 66 consecutive starts in nine months, which makes him one of the most important players on the team and therefore not one of those who usually goes out and rests. Recently, Judge had his first rest of 2025.
In the Yankees’ last game against the Kansas City Royals, Judge was not in the lineup and this caught the attention of fans and the press, as it is very unusual for the captain not to be present and in fact, his last rest was against the same opponent, but in 2024.
Rest days and time off are no surprise in the world of baseball. Seasons are long and the schedule is tight, so it’s important for teams to have deep rosters to rotate and avoid injuries or overloads to their most important players.
The bet that changed everything
The rest that Yankees manager Aaron Boone gave Judge was no coincidence, nor was it something planned during the season. It was all about a fun “bet” they made before the game that ended up being fulfilled to the surprise of several.
It turns out that the bet between Boone and Judge was as follows: if Judge hit a home run in each of the first two games against the Kansas City Royals, Boone would have to reconsider the decision to give him the day off. Amazingly, Judge did just that, hitting the two home runs and so Boone had to give in.
A performance to back it up
It is clear that even the most important player on a team deserves rest and regardless of the bet, Judge was still going to have to do it. However, for Boone, the situation should not be so easy, since the performance of his captain is superlative and calls for him to play every possible game.
Judge has a .397 batting average, a 1.269 OPS record, has hit 25 home runs, driven in 59 runs and his form is remarkable. These figures make it clear why he only had his first break of the year in June and why it will be difficult not to see him on the field during the season.
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