SEATTLE — Aaron Judge is hitting .125 with 11 strikeouts through his first six games of the 2026 season. He went 0-for-4 in Wednesday’s 5-3 series-clinching win over the Seattle Mariners, his only time on base the result of an eighth-inning throwing error by the Mariners.
Three hits in 24 at-bats. Two of them home runs. Eleven strikeouts. On paper it looks like a problem for the three-time AL MVP and reigning Yankees captain.
The people who work most closely with him are not the ones sounding the alarm.
Hitting coach James Rowson is not worried
Yankees hitting coach James Rowson addressed the topic directly before Wednesday’s game in Seattle. His answer came with a laugh.
“The track record speaks for itself,” Rowson said. “I have no concerns, at all, with Judgie.”
Rowson explained that Judge is the last player he loses sleep over during a rough patch. That view is grounded in firsthand experience. Rowson was in his first year as Yankees hitting coach when the 2024 slow start unfolded, and he watched what came after.
“Which plays into why I don’t worry too much about him, about where it starts,” Rowson said. “We’re literally talking about five games of a season. And five games where he’s already got two homers.”
Rowson’s history with Judge stretches further back than 2024. He served as the Yankees’ minor league hitting coordinator from 2014 to 2016, overlapping with the early stages of Judge’s professional career after the Yankees drafted him in 2013. He knows this player as well as anyone in the organization.
Numbers that raise eyebrows, then thrills
Judge has been here before. Two years ago, he opened the 2024 season in a near-identical 3-for-24 skid through his first six games, posting seven strikeouts in that span. At the time, his 0-for-5, four-strikeout performance on Opening Day drew the same concerned reaction from fans and analysts.
His April 2024 only deepened the concern. He finished the month hitting .207 with six home runs and a .754 OPS. By May 2, his batting average had dropped to .197 after going 0-for-4 in Baltimore.
Then came what followed. Starting May 4, 2024, Judge produced a .398/.507/.932 slash line with 25 home runs, 64 RBIs, 70 hits and 36 walks across his next 50 games. He finished the season hitting .322 with 58 home runs, 144 RBIs and a 1.159 OPS, finishing as the AL MVP for the second straight year and coming within reach of the Triple Crown.
The 2026 version of the slow start tracks almost perfectly with 2024. The key difference: Judge already has two home runs in six games this season. In 2024, he did not hit his first homer until his seventh game and had just two through his first 15.
The year 2024 is not even the only data point. In 2017, Judge opened 4-for-19 (.211) with one home run in his first six games. By the end of April that year he was hitting .303 with 10 home runs. He finished the season with 52 home runs, the AL rookie record at the time.
Here is Judge’s first-six-game line for every season of his career:
| Year | Avg | H/AB | HR | K |
| 2016 | .304 | 7/23 | 2 | 8 |
| 2017 | .211 | 4/19 | 1 | 5 |
| 2018 | .286 | 6/21 | 1 | 8 |
| 2019 | .333 | 7/21 | 0 | 10 |
| 2020 | .250 | 6/24 | 0 | 6 |
| 2021 | .346 | 9/26 | 2 | 6 |
| 2022 | .292 | 7/24 | 1 | 6 |
| 2023 | .348 | 8/23 | 2 | 10 |
| 2024 | .125 | 3/24 | 0 | 7 |
| 2025 | .417 | 10/24 | 5 | 7 |
| 2026 | .125 | 3/24 | 2 | 11 |
Judge’s first six games, year by year (source: NJ.com / Randy Miller). 2024 and 2026 highlighted.
Boone shrugs, and points to everything else Judge brings
Manager Aaron Boone offered his own perspective from eight years of watching Judge navigate rough stretches.
“Just early in the season,” Boone said. “Again, it’s a small stretch. Even for him when it’s not clicking at a level we’re accustomed to seeing all the time, he’s still had a major impact in two wins offensively coupled with all the other things he brings to the table on defense, in here in the dugout. With Judgie, it’s always a matter of time before he gets dialed in from a timing standpoint, and off we go.”
When asked if there are any early signals that tell him Judge is about to get hot, Boone smiled.
“When he shows up,” Boone said. “I saw him walk in today so that could be the sign.”
Wednesday proved otherwise. Judge added another 0-for-4 to the ledger. The Yankees won without him contributing at the plate.
Yankees went 5-1 while Judge searched for his swing
The larger context matters here. New York completed its West Coast road trip with a 5-1 record, outscoring opponents 24-6 over six games. The starting pitching staff allowed a combined two runs in those six games, a historically dominant stretch. Cam Schlittler and Max Fried each made two scoreless starts. The offense got production from Jazz Chisholm, Giancarlo Stanton, Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt.
The Yankees functioned at a high level with their best hitter running cold. That is a sign of depth, and it takes significant pressure off Judge to force things at the plate.
Judge himself reflected on the team result after the series in San Francisco.
“We took care of business, that was the most important thing,” he said after the Giants series.
His teammates and coaches echoed that framing throughout the Seattle series. Boone’s point was consistent: even a quiet Judge is not a liability. His defense in right field and his presence in the clubhouse carry real value.
The Yankees now return to the Bronx for Friday’s home opener against the Miami Marlins with a 5-1 record, sole possession of first place in the AL East, and a captain who has not yet found his timing. If 2024 is any guide, that will not last long. History, and the people who know him best, say patience is the only thing required here.
What do you think? A repeat of 2024 on the horizon?
