Yankees' Aaron Judge Aims to Steal More Bases in 2026

The superstar slugger wants to add more speed to his game.

Feb. 17, 2026 at 8:39am

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New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who has won the AL MVP award multiple times, is looking to add more stolen bases to his game in the 2026 season. Judge told reporters at spring training that he wants to focus on improving his baserunning and potentially stealing more bases, especially with the recent rule changes in MLB that could make it easier to swipe bags.

Why it matters

Judge is already one of the most dominant power hitters in baseball, but adding more speed and stolen bases to his game could make him an even more well-rounded and dangerous offensive threat. Improving his baserunning could also help the Yankees maximize their potent lineup by getting Judge into scoring position more often.

The details

Judge stole 12 bases in 2025 and has 65 steals in his career. While he's not considered a burner, the 6-foot-7, 282-pound slugger believes he can utilize his athleticism to steal more bases, especially with the new pitch clock and pickoff rules. His career-high in steals is 16 in 2022, and he's been successful on 65 of 86 stolen base attempts overall in his career.

  • Judge stole 12 bases in the 2025 season.
  • Judge's career-high in stolen bases is 16, set in 2022.

The players

Aaron Judge

A superstar outfielder for the New York Yankees who has won multiple AL MVP awards.

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What they’re saying

“Definitely baserunning's on my mind this year a lot. I saw a lot of guys around the league with 40, 30 bases that you don't usually normally expect to be running that much. Especially with how the game's changed with the pickoffs and the pitch clock, I think that's one way we can utilize, or at least I can utilize some of my skills a little bit more, getting into scoring position.”

— Aaron Judge

What’s next

Judge will look to put his new focus on baserunning into practice during the 2026 season as the Yankees aim to contend for another World Series title.

The takeaway

Aaron Judge's decision to add more stolen bases to his game shows his commitment to continually improving and evolving as a player, even after winning multiple MVP awards. This could make the Yankees' lineup even more dangerous and difficult to contain for opposing teams.