Despite dropping a series against the Detroit Tigers, the New York Yankees are having a solid start to the 2025 season. Aaron Judge’s bat has been as hot as ever, but he weighed in on Max Fried stepping into the team’s “ace” role with Gerrit Cole on the shelf for the season.

“Gerrit Cole is a one-of-one,” Judge said via the Daily News. “You can ask every guy in this room what he means to us. But you got a guy like Fried, who was an ace for the Braves for so long, and you bring him into our rotation to kind of pick up that slack for Cole, he’s been incredible. We want 54 on the mound every night that we can get. So it’s just another gem by him.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone has liked what he has seen from Fried on the mound so far this season.

“Just a big-time performance for us to salvage a win in this series. He was the catalyst,” Boone said. “What I like is he loves the competition. Like he relishes that opportunity. When you’re really good, like he is, there’s a reason for that, but he likes being in the fire out there. He likes competing. He’s got so many different ways to beat you, and it’s just a big-time performance there.”

Fried has big shoes to fill for the Yankees this season, but he is off to a good start.

Yankees’ Paul Goldschmidt ‘dripping in humility’

The New York Yankees added a veteran bat in Paul Goldschmidt during the offseason. Manager Aaron Boone has enjoyed having him on the roster, largely due to his humility.

“Then you look at him. This guy is probably on his way to the Hall of Fame, and he’s dripping in humility,” Boone said via MLB.com. “The message with me is ‘whatever I need from him.’ It’s no, ‘I want to hit here…I want to play here.’ If it’s a day off, he’s ready. [He’s] going to play well for us between the lines but is going to elevate our room, too.”

Goldschmidt has been batting leadoff for the Yankees this season, something that has been new to him.

“{Batting leadoff is] something I hadn’t done before, but, for me, I just try to take a normal at-bat,” Goldschmidt said. “I didn’t want to try to overthink it or do anything different. So, every time I get in the box, I just try to have a good at-bat and hit the ball hard, and hopefully, good things will happen.”

Goldschmidt is looking to have a season to remember with the Yankees in 2025.