NEW YORK — Things looked different in the Bronx on Opening Day.
Ace Gerrit Cole, fresh off Tommy John surgery, wore a brace on his right elbow during pregame introductions. No one in the crowd wanted to see or hear any evidence of Juan Soto’s lone year in pinstripes, so the person in charge of putting together the Yankees’ hype video made sure the swing that sent them to the World Series last year was edited out.
Austin Wells became the first Yankees catcher in franchise history to leadoff — and he lifted a home run in his first at-bat of the season in their 4-2 win over the Brewers on Thursday.
Cody Bellinger collected his first hit as a New York Yankee more than a quarter-century after his dad’s first hit in pinstripes. Veteran Paul Goldschmidt replaced Anthony Rizzo at first base. There was a bearded Yankee in Carlos Rodon on the mound, and a crush of young faces in the dugout.
“We get to start finding out how good we are,” manager Aaron Boone said of the new-look Yankees.
Still, despite all the changes, a couple of rostered players offered small reminders of the 2024 team that won the American League pennant. Anthony Volpe borrowed Rizzo’s Italian salute during the roll call from the bleachers. Jazz Chisholm stepped into a Soto shuffle during his first at-bat of the season. Baseball can evoke strong sentimental connections that make it hard to let go of the past. But for the Yankees to defend the pennant and capture the World Series crown, one thing has remained the same.
They need another monster season from Aaron Judge.
“We have questions,” Boone said about the 2025 roster. “But we think we have answers, too.”
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No one really expected Judge to top his career year after he hit a record-breaking 62 home runs in 2022. At the time, it was hard to fathom the slugger playing better than the 131 RBI, 111 walks, 1.111 OPS, 206 wRC+ and 11.1 fWAR he recorded in his first career MVP season. That year, he carried a Yankees team whose second-best hitter was Rizzo, then propelled the club to the ALCS, where it lost to the Astros for the third time in six years. Judge was on pace to do more of the same in 2023 before he jammed his toe into the Dodger Stadium outfield wall. It was evident how much the Yankees lineup was built to rely on Judge when they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016 after his toe injury.
Then came the 2024 season. Judge got off to a slow start, but his Yankees didn’t need to hit the panic button because there was still a generational slugger in the lineup doing generational things. While Soto helped keep the Yankees afloat, Judge got his groove back. His video-game numbers (58 home runs, 144 RBI, 133 walks, 1.159, 218 wRC+, 11.2 fWAR) at the end of the regular season meant a new career year and a second MVP award. That Judge has continued topping his expectations is nothing short of astonishing.
Now, in his age-33 season, the Yankees are once again asking Judge to lead a lineup that’s full of questions.
Soto is with the Mets. Giancarlo Stanton is sidelined with tennis elbow in both arms. DJ LeMahieu is injured. Gleyber Torres is with the Tigers. Alex Verdugo is with the Braves on a minor-league deal. Rizzo remains unsigned. And they never did fill the hole at the hot corner, opting to go with utility infielder Oswaldo Cabrera as their Opening Day third baseman.
So how do the Yankees plan to replace Soto’s 41-homer, 109-RBI season? They gave us a glimpse of how they can get it done in their season-opening win against the Brewers.
Wells became the first catcher with a leadoff home run on Opening Day in Major League Baseball history. Shortstop Anthony Volpe, now in his third year in the big leagues, added on with a solo shot to right for his first home run of the season. Designated hitter Ben Rice, who entered Thursday with just 50 major-league games under his belt, went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. Top prospect Jasson Dominguez and second baseman Jazz Chisholm combined to go 0-for-6 with a walk, but they both need to be huge contributors this year to make this a well-rounded Yankees lineup.
“The young guys are going to be a huge force for us this year,” Judge said after the win.
He’s right, but the Yankees will need Judge to be a bigger force because, in many ways, the offense goes as he goes.
New York led Milwaukee 2-1 in the fifth inning when Judge had the opportunity to put more runs on the board. With runners on first and second, he struck out on five pitches to end the inning and took the air out of the stadium with him. Presented with another opportunity to make noise in the seventh inning, Judge got a little help when his ground ball ricocheted off the third-base bag and trickled into left field for an RBI double. Judge extended the Yankees lead to 3-1 and, like we’ve seen him do countless times since his 2017 rookie season, he sparked the offense. That blend of young guys hitting, and Judge mashing is their recipe for success in a Soto-less world.
“I trust the guys in this locker room,” Bellinger said. “We’re all here for one goal and that’s winning.”
If it sounds unfair for us to be expecting Judge to put up MVP numbers in order for the Yankees to get back to the World Series, that’s just how spectacular the slugger has been in the Bronx. He just keeps raising the bar for himself. Rather than expecting Judge to be unable to top his career years, he’s made sure that we’re always asking, “What’s next?” This year, after getting a taste of his first Fall Classic, Judge is on a mission to prove that the Yankees are capable of winning the World Series even without the guy who hit a three-run home run in the ALCS to send them there. Who knows what that extra edge will do for his performance?
Maybe this time we won’t be surprised if — and when — Judge outdoes himself. But the Yankees won’t take it for granted, either. These kinds of performances, from that kind of player, don’t come around often. After all, Judge broke a home-run record in 2022 that was upheld by Roger Maris for 61 years. The next time Judge decides to topple expectations, the Yankees have to capitalize. There are only so few chances left.
Deesha Thosar is a MLB reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for four years as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
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