Aaron Judge has a resume filled with MVP awards and home run records, but what does any of it mean in the Bronx without a World Series ring? He got ever so close to winning it back in 2024, until he met the Los Angeles Dodgers.

According to Michael Kay, that is the only thing that is holding him back. When a fan asked him the question if that is a missing piece, Kay said, “To say that it doesn’t affect his legacy, I think you’re being disingenuous… It has to. It’s something that would be missing.”

But have the Yankees done enough to even have a chance at winning the ring?

A World Series ring will always be how a fan judges a player and their achievements. Ted Williams hit .344 with 521 home runs but never won a title. Ernie Banks hit 512 home runs and won 2 MVP awards without a ring.

Both are all-time greats, yet the last question in the conversation will be, “Did they win a World Series ring?” That same question now follows Aaron Judge, even with the seasons he is having with the Yankees.

Aaron Judge, in his Yankees career, has won 3 MVP awards and has multiple All-Star appearances. He even holds the AL record for the highest number of home runs in a single season at 62. He has multiple 50+ homer seasons, but the final question by fans is, where is the ring?

This pressure is magnified because the Yankees haven’t won a title since 2009. They did make the 2024 World Series but lost to the Dodgers in five games.

The Yankees consistently make the playoffs, but struggle to finish the job. This gap between chances and results keeps adding weight to the current roster.

The gap looks bigger when compared to the “Core Four” championship team. Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada won five titles together. Those teams had strong pitching, steady defense, and timely hits in big moments.

Today’s team lacks balance to clinch the championship. Judge has had help from Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon, but not at the same level as Jeter had during his run as the captain. But the real question is, is the current team built to win it all?

This Yankees team struggles when games matter most because its offense clearly depends on home runs, which dropped during the 2025 ALDS, and the Blue Jays beat them easily. Against Toronto, they scored just 19 runs across 4 games, while the Jays scored 34 runs.

Injuries to Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon have also hurt the pitching depth. Defense is another major issue, as players are often forced out of their natural positions. Like in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. Costly fielding mistakes from multiple players, including a throwing error by Anthony Volpe to third base, where Chisholm was playing out of position. That ultimately led to the Yankees’ doom.

That brings the focus back to whether this team can really win a title. The Yankees win around 90 games every year, but that has not led to championships. In 2025, they had losing records against Boston and Toronto within the division.

Even the Yankees announcer acknowledged and said, “Does he have the core four? Does he have the great players that those Yankee championship teams had? No, he doesn’t.”

Teams that win in October usually have better balance in pitching and defense. So, if Judge wants a ring and New York wants number 28, they need to make these changes soon. Fortunately for the Yankees’ fans, Aaron Judge shows no signs of stopping.

Aaron Judge makes another record for the fans to remember

No one knows when Aaron Judge will win the World Series, but one thing that fans can be sure of is him getting into the record books regularly. The New York Yankees have started the 2026 season with a 13-9 record after playing 22 games. That record gives them a .591 win rate, which is good but not great.

They scored 104 runs but have given up 92 runs, showing some inconsistencies. A recent 7-0 shutout win against the Royals showed that the team has balance. And the fans can see this team having another great season, but there are a few gaps.

Those gaps make Aaron Judge and Ben Rice stand out even more. Judge and Rice have hit 17 home runs combined this season. No other Yankee batter has more than five.

Rice also had a three-hit game during the Arizona series, helping the team win that matchup. Judge also had a two-home run game, showing his power and consistency.

That run put them in rare team history, as noted by Sarah Langs. They became the first Yankees pair since 2022 to hit 8+ home runs each. That 2022 pair was Judge and Anthony Rizzo.

Before that, it last happened in 1956 with Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle. Being named with those players shows how big this start has been for them.

Judge also moved up the list, reaching 377 home runs in his career. That number pushed him past Carlton Fisk and tied him with Jeff Kent. He also matched Norm Cash, placing him 78th on the all-time list.

With Rice going toe-to-toe with Judge in homers, it has forced talks to make him a regular on the team sheet. And if this trend continues, the Yankees might become the team to beat this season, and they might have finally found the missing piece for their number 28 in Ben Rice.