Yankees' Juan Soto: Aaron Judge Hitting Behind Me in Lineup 'Makes My Job Easier'

Juan Soto is happy to have New York Yankees star Aaron Judge batting three-hole behind him.

"It's nice to hit in front of [Aaron Judge]," Soto said, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. "It just makes my job easier, and hopefully I can make his job a little easier, too."

Soto leads the league with a .431 on-base percentage through 77 games, while Judge and his .425 OBP rank right behind.

The duo also pace the MLB in walks, with Judge's 59 trailing only Soto's 64.

The two stars have powered the Yankees out to the top of the AL East with a 52-28 record heading into Tuesday.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone recently called the duo "about as good a one-two punch as you can have."

"Left-right, both guys that get on base over a .400 clip, both with huge power," Boone said, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "They complement each other really, really well. Just two great all-around players. I don't know that there's a better one-two punch."

The newest Yankees star duo didn't look quite as solid at the beginning of the season, when Judge batted under .200 through the first month.

Judge has since returned to dominance at the plate, batting .373 through the month of June alone. That resurgence, combined with Soto's consistency, has the Yankees looking like title contenders after missing the 2023 postseason altogether.

With Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner saying that he wants Soto playing in New York "for the rest of his career," team leadership could be hoping the former Padres and Washington Nationals star's connection with Judge could encourage him to sign an extension in the Bronx.

That decision isn't likely to come any time soon, however. Soto told Heyman that he would figure out his next contract "in the offseason" following the expiration of his current one-year, $31 million deal.

Leading New York toward the postseason may not be the only time Soto and Judge will get to play together this season. The two currently lead MLB All-Star voting, with more than 4 million of a total 7 million ballots naming one of the Yankees stars to the team.