Judge returns as MLB The Show 26 cover athlete

All rise for the second time: Aaron Judge is back on the cover of MLB The Show.

Judge was revealed as the cover athlete for MLB The Show 26 on Tuesday. It's the second time the Yankees superstar and reigning American League MVP has been on the cover of the game -- Judge was also on the cover of MLB The Show 18.

Judge is only the second player to make the cover of MLB The Show more than once in the game's history. Joe Mauer is the other. The Twins' Hall of Fame catcher was on the cover of back-to-back games in 2010 and '11.

MLB The Show 26 will launch on March 17 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S and Nintendo Switch. Early access for fans who get the Digital Deluxe Edition of the game starts on March 13.

Preorders for both the Standard Edition and Digital Deluxe Edition of the game open on Feb. 3 at 11 a.m. ET at TheShow.com, game platform stores and at participating retailers.

The cover of MLB The Show 26 showcases Judge in both his Yankees pinstripes and his Team USA uniform. Judge is the captain for the U.S. in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. This is the first time that MLB The Show features a player in his country's jersey.

In MLB The Show 26, the World Baseball Classic tournament will also be returning to Diamond Dynasty mode within the game. Fans should stay tuned for more details coming soon.

When Judge was first on the cover of MLB The Show in 2018, he had just burst onto the scene as a rookie in '17, when he set a then-rookie record with 52 home runs and won the American League Rookie of the Year Award.

In the eight years since, Judge has put himself on a Hall of Fame track as a three-time MVP, seven-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger and three-time home run king -- including his historic season in 2022, when he set the American League record with 62 home runs.

Now, Judge is back on the cover of MLB The Show after his third MVP season in 2025, when he crushed 53 home runs and won his first batting title with a .331 batting average.

Judge is the only Yankees player to be on the cover of the flagship edition of MLB The Show in the 21 years it's existed in its current format as "The Show" -- that goes back to MLB 06: The Show, which had David Ortiz on the cover.

Derek Jeter was on the cover of a special collector's edition of MLB The Show 23, and Bernie Williams was on the cover of one of the predecessor games to The Show, MLB '98.

This year, MLB The Show is going back to its traditional, single-cover athlete format after a trio of rising stars were all on the cover of the game together in 2025: Paul Skenes, Elly De La Cruz and Gunnar Henderson.

Judge is the first reigning MVP to be on The Show's cover since Shohei Ohtani in 2022. Other reigning MVPs who were the game's cover athlete include Josh Donaldson in 2016, Miguel Cabrera in 2014, Mauer in 2010 and Dustin Pedroia in 2009.