Baseball is a game of ups and downs, and Aaron Judge has been sharply descending of late. But New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone isn’t worried about his slugger. After the Yankees’ 2-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, a member of the media pointed out that Judge is in the midst of a 12-game stretch without a long ball, asking Boone for analysis. Boone noted that the 32-year-old superstar is slightly off now but believes he will progress to the mean in no time.

Saw a couple smoked balls today...not much different, just probably missed a couple of pitches that when he’s really rolling he sticks in the seats. But that’s just a matter of an at-bat and back to rolling, and he’ll hit them in bunches. He’s not far off at all.

Mere weeks ago, Judge was on pace to hit a career-high 63 dingers. Such a feat seems highly unlikely now, as he’d have to hit 12 homers in the last 19 games of the season — a tall task even for the 6-foot-7 outfielder. Judge’s power isn’t the only aspect of his game that’s suffered recently. He’s hitting just .208/.364/.434 over his last 15 games. As a result, the star outfielder has missed a massive opportunity to catch Bobby Witt Jr. in the batting title race — a title that would likely give Judge a triple-crown.

On Aug. 21, Witt was batting .350 to Judge’s .334. In a slump of his own, Witt ended Sunday hitting .336 — but Judge is now down to .321. While the Captain’s downturn may have cost him personal glory, the timing is perfect for potential team success. The Yankees are clinging to a half-game lead in the AL East, and with Judge due to get hot soon, they just might have enough power to hold on.