Aaron Judge's Slump: History Suggests a Strong Comeback

Aaron Judge is in a familiar-looking slump, but history suggests that he will break out soon. On May 22, 2026, he continued his poor performance, going 0 for 4 with a strikeout and a double play in the New York Yankees' 2-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. This marked the ninth time in the last 13 games that the Yankees suffered a loss, falling to a 4-9 record during this stretch.

Judge, who has not had a hit in his last 11 at-bats, has struggled with eight strikeouts over the last three games. During this rough 13-game span, his batting average dropped to .191, with only one home run. "I'm not doing enough at the plate," Judge expressed in relation to his struggles, stating, "... I wouldn't say we're not seeing the ball well. I think it's about making sure we're swinging at the right pitches."

In this 13-game period, Judge recorded just 1 RBI and a .619 OPS, marking the first time he has experienced such a lengthy stretch with 1 or fewer RBIs and an OPS below .625 in his career.

Overall, Judge's season remains strong, as he has a slash line of .250/.381/.554 with 16 home runs. However, his recent slump has affected the Yankees' offense, which has averaged only 3.15 runs per game during the 4-9 stretch. The correlation between Judge's performance and the team's success is clear, as his production is crucial for the Yankees' offensive output.

Yankees' manager Aaron Boone commented, "He's just going through it a little bit right now. Usually that means good things are coming on the other side. He's a little in-between, probably. Fastballs got on him, and he was a little out in front of some other pitches... Usually anytime a hitter goes through it, it's a little timing related. I think that's all it is."

Judge's slump often follows a similar pattern; his contact quality does not suffer severely — he is one of the hardest hitters in the league — but his swing decisions become erratic. He tends to chase pitches outside the strike zone, often due to pitchers avoiding throwing to him in the zone. A clear correlation exists between Judge's chase rate and his OPS: when he maintains discipline, he produces high offensive numbers, whereas chasing leads to a drop in his efficiency.

Mechanics play a role as well. When swinging poorly, Judge often opens his hips too early, putting himself in a compromised hitting position and impairing his ability to see the ball effectively.

Though facing difficulties, Judge remains human and experiences slumps like all hitters. His notable slump follows a month-long streak of impressive performance, during which he hit .299/.438/.684 with 13 home runs in 33 games. This mirrors the hitting prowess that earned him three MVPs and three seasons with over 50 home runs between 2022 and 2025.

While this downturn may appear concerning, it has not persisted for long, and with Judge's exceptional talent, his slump could end abruptly. Speculation suggests he could even hit a powerful home run in his first at-bat on Friday night.