Aaron Judge not in Yankees lineup for first time this season originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Yankees gave their captain a break for Thursday’s series finale in Kansas City, marking his first day out of the lineup in 2025. Seth Lugo is on the mound for the Royals, and Judge’s history against him isn’t exactly glowing.

He’s also reached base 146 times. No one has done that through 67 games since Barry Bonds in 2004. The names keep stacking up: Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Speaker. That’s the company Judge is keeping this year—and in some categories, he’s passing them.

Aaron Judge is having a Ruth-ian season. But one guy, former Mets GM and current MLB Network analyst Steve Phillips, goes a step further. He says Judge is even greater than Babe Ruth. "You look at Ruth, you look at (Roger) Maris in the 61-homer season, I would make the case that Aaron Judge is the best Yankees hitter ever," Phillips said on Friday.