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.

With the Yankees in the early stages of a stretch of 16 straight games, Boone decided a week ago Thursday would be the right day to give Judge his first day off this season after the rightfielder started the first 66 games, the only Yankee to do so.