Judge endured a disappointing 2024 postseason performance. Through 14 games played, the Yankees star slashed just .184/.344/.408/.752. Judge did hit three home runs, but it was an overall disappointing postseason performance. The Yankees still managed to reach the World Series, but one has to wonder if the Fall Classic would have been more competitive had Judge played at his MVP-caliber level.

However, Judge has played well during the regular season in the past. After all, he is a two-time American League MVP winner, and Judge even won the award in 2024.

So why is Papelbon worried about the Yankees star? Well, the former Boston Red Sox All-Star hurler believes Judge’s postseason struggles could continue into the 2025 regular season.

“Here’s the thing at the end of the day, all baseball players are mental, man,” Papelbon said during a recent appearance on Foul Territory. “They all are. We’re just built that way and we press. I mean, I’ve pressed, we’ve all pressed at certain times. I think that the pressing from what he showed in the playoffs is gonna just continue… I think he’s gonna be going up against much better pitching staffs in the AL East this year… Honestly, I think the struggles continue.”

Papelbon’s prediction is bold to say the least. So does Papelbon believe that Judge can bounce back at some point?

“I think he’s gonna have to find something else that propels him,” Papelbon continued. “I know he’s a regular season player, but the first month to me is gonna be very interesting.”

An in-depth look at Jonathan Papelbon’s prediction for Yankees star Aaron Judge

When healthy, Judge has been consistent during the regular season over the past few years. Yankees fans obviously won’t like Papelbon’s admission. There is one point that cannot be argued against, however.

Baseball is absolutely a mental game. Yankees legend Yogi Berra once said that “baseball is ninety percent mental.”

See, in the sport of baseball, position players only receive four or five at-bats per game. They may receive six or seven if the game goes into extra innings, but typically a hitter will not receive more than five plate appearances in a single contest.

Hitters also often need to wait a couple of innings before getting their next at-bat. So if a hitter has an ugly strikeout, he may need to wait a while for his next at-bat. And if a hitter goes 0-5 with three strikeouts, they will not get another opportunity until the next game.

Now Judge hit just .184 during the Yankees’ most important games of the season. And he isn’t going to receive the opportunity to bounce back until the 2025 campaign gets underway. That means Judge has been thinking about his struggles ever since the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Yankees in the World Series.

There is hope, though.

The great athletes in any sport find ways to move past the over-thinking element of it all. They will deal with criticism, frustration and more, but All-Stars know how to maintain their confidence while ignoring the outside noise.

Aaron Judge has displayed the ability to bounce back after going through a slump, and there isn’t any reason to doubt him heading into 2025. Still, Papelbon’s comments could surface again if Judge does indeed struggle early in the new campaign.