After a fan shouted, "Swing the bat!" while Judge took two straight pitches from reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, the Yankees' captain, wasted no time. Judge stepped up and blasted the ball over the outfield fence, silencing any critics and energizing the watching crowd, according to a video posted by MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

Aaron Judge said a lot without speaking a word during a live batting practice session at the New York Yankees' spring training site in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday. Facing fellow teammate and 2024 American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil,

Spring training games across MLB in both the Grapefruit (Florida) and Cactus (Arizona) leagues get underway this week, with the Dodgers and Cubs kicking things off Thursday afternoon, followed by five games Friday before all 30 teams take the field on the same day for the first time this Saturday.

The New York Yankees have dropped their ban on beards, 49 years after it was imposed by owner George Steinbrenner

New York Yankees players and employees will finally be able to sport beards, the team announced on Friday, adjusting a long-standing, one-of-a-kind grooming policy.

Aaron Judge with a beard? With the rollback of a decades-old New York Yankees team rule, that just might be possible.