Yankees load 2026 giveaways with bobbleheads, jerseys, special promos

NEW YORK — Opening Day is still a few weeks away, but the New York Yankees have already handed their fans something to circle on the calendar. The team released its full 2026 promotional schedule Friday, and the list is longer and more varied than many might expect. Before a single pitch is thrown at Yankee Stadium this season, there are 18 dates that fans will want to plan around.

A season packed with reasons to show up early

The Yankees are offering six bobblehead giveaways, three jersey nights, two cap days, fireworks, a military appreciation night, Old-Timers’ Day and a number retirement ceremony. That is a dense calendar by any measure.

Each giveaway item at the gate is limited to the first 18,000 fans. For the most popular items, that means arriving well before first pitch is not just recommended. It is essential. Gates at Yankee Stadium typically open 90 minutes before game time for regular games.

The schedule covers events from the first week of April through the final weekend of September. It touches on Star Wars, Hello Kitty, a Seinfeld reference, a Knicks star and one of the most beloved pitchers in Yankees history. There is genuinely something for every kind of fan on this list.

The bobblehead lineup from start to finish

The first bobblehead of the season may also be the most creative. On May 2, a Star Wars Day matchup against the Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees will give out a Max Fried Mandalorian Bobblehead. The item depicts the left-handed starter in full Mandalorian armor with Grogu beside him. It is presented by CLEAR and goes to the first 18,000 fans at the 1:35 p.m. game.

Fried, who signed a nine-year, $218 million contract with the Yankees before the 2025 season, quickly became a fan favorite in the Bronx. Pairing him with one of the most popular characters in recent pop culture history is the kind of off-the-wall creativity that makes a bobblehead stand out.

Aaron Judge gets his second consecutive MVP bobblehead on June 20 against the Cincinnati Reds. The item shows the Yankees captain holding his MVP plaque. It goes to the first 18,000 fans at the 1:35 p.m. Saturday game, presented by T-Mobile. Judge won back-to-back AL MVP awards in 2022 and 2024.

Cody Bellinger gets his own bobblehead on Aug. 21 against Toronto. The next day, Aug. 22, brings one of the more unusual collectibles in recent Yankees promotional history: a Hello Kitty bobblehead, also against the Blue Jays.

The George Costanza Calzone Bobblehead on Aug. 27 against Houston is the kind of giveaway that generates national attention. The Seinfeld character, played by Jason Alexander, has a deep fictional connection to the Yankees. The calzone reference is a nod to a memorable episode from the show’s run. Yankees fans of a certain age will immediately understand why this works.

Closing out the bobblehead season on Sept. 25 is Josh Hart. The New York Knicks guard will appear wearing a Yankees uniform with No. 32, the number his great uncle Elston Howard wore during his Hall of Fame career with New York. Howard was the first Black player on the Yankees, winning the AL MVP in 1963. The Hart bobblehead connects two generations and two sports in one item.

Three jersey nights give fans wearable giveaways

The Yankees are running three jersey giveaway nights in 2026, each with a different theme. On April 17 against Kansas City, the first 18,000 fans receive a hockey-style Yankees jersey. On May 22 against Tampa Bay, the giveaway is a Giancarlo Stanton basketball jersey. On June 18 against the Chicago White Sox, the team hands out a soccer-style Yankees jersey.

The three-sport jersey approach gives the Yankees broad appeal across different fan communities. Basketball and hockey crossover merchandise has been a consistent revenue driver across MLB in recent years. The soccer jersey, in particular, reflects the league’s ongoing push to reach a younger, global audience.

Full 2026 Yankees promotional schedule

Here is every promotional event on the Yankees’ 2026 home schedule:

Special events anchor the second half of the season

Old-Timers’ Day returns for its 78th edition on Aug. 8 against Atlanta. The event has been a Yankee Stadium tradition since 1946 and remains one of the most anticipated days of the season. The 3:05 p.m. first pitch is earlier than most home games, giving the pre-game ceremony room to breathe.

The single biggest event on the 2026 calendar is Sept. 26. The Yankees will retire CC Sabathia’s No. 52 and unveil a plaque in Monument Park before a home game against Baltimore. Sabathia, a first-ballot Hall of Famer inducted in 2025, spent nine of his 19 major-league seasons in the Bronx. He went 129-62 as a Yankee and was a cornerstone of the 2009 World Series championship team. The ceremony will mark his permanent place among the greatest players to wear pinstripes.

Military Appreciation Night on June 6 against the Boston Red Sox rounds out the marquee events. Fans receive a Red, White and Blue Yankees T-shirt, and the game carries the added weight of a rivalry matchup.

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