On August 13, 2016, Tyler Austin stepped into a major league batter’s box for the first time and did something few rookies ever do - he went deep. The only problem?
So did the guy who followed him. That guy was Aaron Judge, and while Judge’s 446-foot moonshot stole the spotlight and launched a superstar, Austin’s own homer became more of a baseball trivia nugget than a springboard to stardom.
Fast forward nearly a decade, and the Chicago Cubs are giving Austin a shot to flip the script.
The Cubs have signed the former Yankees first baseman to a one-year major league deal worth $1.25 million, plus incentives. It’s a low-risk move on paper, but for Austin, it’s much more than that. It’s a rare second chance - a chance to redefine a career that’s long lived in the shadow of a teammate’s historic debut.
Let’s be clear: Tyler Austin was never just “that other guy.” He had real power, real promise, and real moments in the big leagues.
Across parts of four MLB seasons with the Yankees and Twins, he posted a .230 batting average with a .307 on-base percentage and .459 slugging - numbers that don’t jump off the page, but they hint at the pop that made him a legitimate prospect in the Yankees’ system. He hit 17 home runs in limited action, showing that when he connected, the ball didn’t just leave the bat - it left the yard.
But the runway was short. The Yankees’ depth chart was crowded, and opportunities came in bursts, not stretches.
In 2018, Austin was traded to the Twins in the deal that brought Lance Lynn to New York. That trade came with an awkward off-field twist: Austin had to publicly distance himself from tweets posted by his father that criticized the Yankees.
He called them embarrassing and asked for them to be deleted - a strange subplot to a move that already felt like a turning point.
When the MLB doors stopped opening, Austin didn’t hang it up. He took his game overseas, heading to Japan, where he spent six seasons rebuilding his career.
He found consistency, stayed healthy, and kept hitting for power - all while flying under the radar back home. While Judge was racking up MVPs and becoming the face of the Yankees, Austin was grinding on the other side of the world, out of sight but not out of the game.
Now, with the Cubs, Austin gets a fresh start. Chicago has some flexibility on its 40-man roster and no pressing moves to make, so bringing in a right-handed bat with major league experience and international polish makes sense. He’s not being asked to carry the offense - he’s being asked to compete, to contribute, and maybe, just maybe, to remind people that his story isn’t finished.
This isn’t a comeback that’s going to dominate headlines. It’s not a blockbuster signing. But it is a chance - and for a player like Austin, that’s everything.
Aaron Judge became a franchise icon. Tyler Austin took a longer, more winding road. Now, nearly nine years after their shared debut, Austin has a shot to be remembered for more than just the timing of his first big-league swing.
Even if the story still starts with, “Remember when Judge hit that home run?” - maybe this time, it won’t end there.