New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge is reportedly gearing up for fatherhood.
Page Six broke the news on Thursday, December 26, that the 32-year-old outfielder and his wife, Samantha Bracksieck, are expecting their first child — a baby girl. The couple, who are famously private, have yet to confirm the news themselves. (Us Weekly reached out to Judge’s reps and the Yankees for comment.)
Judge and Bracksieck started dating while attending Linden High School in California. Judge graduated in 2010 and started his journey to the big leagues. It’s been reported that the athlete reconnected with Bracksieck in 2019, taking their relationship to the next level.
While they never made any official proposal announcement, the couple sparked engagement rumors when Bracksieck was spotted wearing a ring on her finger in 2021. They got married during a quiet Hawaiian ceremony in December of that year.
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Yankees fans started speculating that Judge was gearing up for the next chapter in his life this past October. Eagle-eyed baseball watchers snapped photos of Bracksieck sporting what appeared to be a baby bump while attending the American League Championship Series. At the time, Bracksieck appeared to join Judge on the field after the Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians, according to photos that were shared via X (but have since been deleted).
While Judge and Bracksieck rarely talk about each other publicly, the duo will make the rare appearance together.
“What a time we had out in LA for the All Star break! Can’t thank Yankee fans and all the fans out there for their support and making this one of the best years yet! Time to get rolling in the 2nd half!” Judge captioned a July 2022 Instagram post, offering a look at his relationship.
The MLB star also said in a 2022 interview that his wife had a hand in helping him secure a $360 million contract with the Yankees that same year.
Aaron Judge Holds Hands With Wife Samantha on Sporty US Open Date
“I was in California. Sam and I were headed to Hawaii to celebrate our [wedding] anniversary. We had a flight at 8 a.m., so 2 o’clock in the morning, 3 o’clock, we’re just staying up,” Judge recalled during an interview with “Casa De Klub” podcast this past July. “We’re going back and forth about different offers from different teams. What do you want to do? And I’m telling her, ‘I want to stay in New York. I don’t want to go anywhere else.’”
Bracksieck encouraged Judge to call Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner.
“We call him and I’m just kind of laying it out there, like, ‘Hey, I don’t want to go anywhere. This is where I want to be if you can just add one more year to the deal. I’m set. I’m not looking for anything more, I just want one more year. I want to play this game for a long time,’” Judge recalled., The athlete then found out he was going to be named the 16th captain of the Yankees.
