Aaron Judge Becomes 3rd Rookie in New York Yankees History with 25 Homers

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge cranked his 25th home run of the season during Thursday's 10-5 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.

While Judge's power output Thursday didn't result in a victory, it did place him in an exclusive club of rookies in the storied history of the franchise. The 25-year-old right fielder joined the likes of Joe DiMaggio and Joe Gordon as the only three players to reach at least 25 home runs as a rookie, per Sportsnet Stats.

Judge started in the minors during 2014 after being selected 32nd in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft. After starting at Low-A, he was promoted quickly through the minor league ranks, making it to Triple-A midway through the 2015 campaign.

He struggled to put it together immediately at the level, batting just .224/.308/.373 over 61 games in the second half of 2015. Judge made the necessary adjustments in 2016, however, smashing 19 homers over 93 games with the club before receiving his first promotion to New York. He didn't have a great first stint with the club, batting just .179 with four home runs over 27 games.

The poor showing didn't stop him from cracking the club's Opening Day roster in 2017. He earned the starting right fielder job and has since slugged 25 home runs while posting a .331 batting average and swiping six bases. It seems unlikely he can sustain such a high batting average given his track record, but he's certainly started his career on a high note.

Thanks in part to Judge's power display, the Yankees sit in a tie with the Boston Red Sox for the top spot in the AL East. Unfortunately, the club's division lead has quickly shrunk following a 1-8 stretch over its last nine games.

Judge and the Yankees will attempt to get back on track Friday evening when they open up a three-game series against the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium.