New York Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge played down Juan Soto's recent comments about being pitched differently this year.
"I've seen Soto now watching the league for so many years and then getting a chance to see him up close - you can look at what I did last April for an example," Judge said Tuesday, according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post. "Just keep being himself and he's going to be just fine."
Soto recently said he was adjusting to being pitched differently as a member of the New York Mets without having Judge hitting behind him in the lineup. Judge and Soto combined to hit 99 home runs with 253 RBIs in their lone season as teammates in 2024.
Soto hit his second home run of the season in Monday's 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Mets first baseman Pete Alonso appears to be a beneficiary of having Soto hitting in front of him in the lineup so far. Alonso is hitting an impressive .356 with five home runs and is tied for second in the league with 20 RBIs across 17 games this season.
"(Soto has) got probably one of the best hitters in the game behind him right now with what (Pete) Alonso's doing," Judge said. "It's been fun to watch. He's hitting close to .400, driving the ball all over the field, driving guys in. They're going to be just fine."
Soto spurned the Yankees to sign a 15-year, $765-million contract with the Mets in the offseason. The Mets and Yankees will hook up for the first time in their annual Subway Series at Yankee Stadium in the middle of May.
