Meet The Stunning Wives & Girlfriends Of The New York Yankees

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There's long been a special rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers, particularly since the latter team decamped from its original Brooklyn locale and relocated to sunny California. The teams have faced off in the World Series before and delivered another epic, winner-take-all confrontation.

Along with their fans, cheering on both teams will be the wives and girlfriends of players from both teams, who'll no doubt be experiencing the kind of stress that can only come by watching their significant others giving their all on the diamond in what could be the biggest game of their lives. But who are the women behind these MLB stars, known collectively as wives and girlfriends? Just as the NFL has its WAGS, so too does the MLB, and the wives and girlfriends of Yankee players share a bond not unlike that which their husbands have formed with their teammates; that was evident when one of the players' wives took a group photo that demonstrated their unity ahead of the World Series.

While there's no question that Major League Baseball has its dark secrets, there's nothing but good feelings between these women. To find out more, keep on reading to meet the stunning wives and girlfriends of the New York Yankees.

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Aaron Judge nearly played in another sport before taking on baseball. Good thing he did; Judge entered the history books in 2022 when the Yankees slugger set an American League record for most home runs in a single season, with his 62 runs breaking the record that had been held by Roger Maris for six decades. That record-setting season contributed to Judge signing a $360-million, nine-year contract with the Yankees.

That momentous deal may never have been done, however, had it not been for his wife, Samantha Bracksieck. Appearing on the "Casa de Klub" podcast, Judge revealed that negotiations had hit an impasse when Bracksieck told him to go directly to the top and give team owner Hal Steinbrenner a call. He did, and that conversation went so well that not only did he receive the offer he wanted, but Steinbrenner also made him team captain — all while his wife listened in. "I was more speechless about that than hearing about a nine-year deal," Judge recalled. "Sam was hitting me like, 'You gotta be saying something.' It was special."

Judge — who remains close to his parents — met his future wife in high school and tied the knot in 2021. Bracksieck has a master's degree in kinesiology from Fresno State University, where her baseball-inspired thesis — "Posterior Elbow Angle During the Movement Phase of Throwing in Relation to the Susceptibility of UCL Injury in Major League Baseball Players" — was named the year's outstanding master's degree project. 

Catcher Austin Wells was drafted in the first round by the Yankees in 2020. It wasn't until 2023, however, that the rookie made his MLB debut. According to social media, he's in a relationship with Teresa Richardson, and the two make frequent appearances on their respective Instagram pages. Like her beau, Richardson is an athlete and served as team captain for the women's soccer team at Rider University. She graduated in 2022 but missed out on the 2021 season due to an unspecified injury. On her Instagram, Richardson has posted a photo of herself and Wells attending a concert and another of the couple hanging out with a large pig — presumably on a farm.

Her relationship with Wells is seemingly of the long-distance variety, given that her LinkedIn profile indicates that she's based in Las Vegas, which is also where Wells is from. In Vegas, she's been an account manager with Otis Elevator Company since 2023. She worked her way up from her original position of sales intern, her original role when she started in 2021.

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Before New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo joined the team, he played with the Chicago Cubs. It was there that he met Emily Vakos, who was interning for the team as a nutritionist after earning a degree in nutrition and food management. Rizzo was smitten; as he admitted in an interview with Chicago Splash (via People), his tenacity wore her down, and eventually, they began dating. 

When their relationship began getting serious, Rizzo decided to pop the question, arranging for the two to be on a boat to watch fireworks that he'd organized. In order to get them both looking good for the occasion, he fibbed by telling her they needed to dress up for a photo shoot. "I'm a very jeans-and-T-shirt girl, especially if I'm going on a boat," Vakos told Chicago Splash. "So a lot of [people ask] how did he get you so done up — in a dress, hair and makeup done? It's because I thought we were going to [a photo shoot]! ... He thought out every detail." Rizzo was thrilled that he was able to pull off the proposal. "She was totally surprised so that's what I wanted," he said.

They got married in 2018, exchanging vows in Florida, with country singer Brett Eldredge performing the song that accompanied their first dance as a married couple. "I had a wedding beyond anything I could have ever dreamt," Vakos gushed to Modern Luxury. "It's going to be perfect no matter what, because you're marrying your best friend."

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As the New York Yankees' starting pitcher, Gerrit Cole has led the team to the 2024 World Series and was under pressure while going head-to-head with the Dodgers. Luckily, he has the unwavering support of his wife, Amy, whom he wed in 2016 — just three years before he signed a massive nine-year, $324-million contract with the Yankees.

They met while attending UCLA, where both were top college athletes. "I remember thinking she was the prettiest girl I had ever met and I wanted to get to know her," Gerrit recalled in a wedding-themed interview with Inside Weddings. That feeling was not mutual, at least at first; when Cole initially asked her out, she took a pass. It wasn't until a year later that Gerrit was able to win her over by helping her move into a new apartment, even bringing Amy's mother flowers for her birthday. "That's the day I decided to take him up on that first-date offer from the year prior," Amy said. Added Gerrit: "Life was a lot better when she was around, and I knew she was the one I wanted to spend my life with." The Coles are the parents of two sons, Caden and Everett.

Then again, it was somewhat inevitable that Amy would wind up with a baseball player. Both she and her sister played softball, while her brother, Brandon Crawford is an MLB player, shortstop for the San Francisco Giants. 

Pitcher Carlos Rodón is fond of sharing photos of his wife, Ashley, and their three children on social media. Before they got married, she went by her maiden name, Ashley Paddock, when she competed in beauty pageants. Back in 2017, she was the third runner-up in the Miss Indiana pageant, and in 2024, she revisited her pageant roots by donning both a bikini and a gown as a delegate at the Miss Teen USA pageant. "It was something I was never planning on doing again after I had kids, I'll be honest," she explained while appearing on the "Diamond in the Rough" podcast. "I loved it," she said of her past experience as a pageant queen. "My goal was always, I wanted to get to Miss USA."

These days, Ashley has far greater responsibilities. As her LinkedIn profile noted, she serves as president of the Carlos Rodón Foundation, which helps couples who have difficulty conceiving pay for the cost of fertility treatments. She is also executive director of advocacy and impact for the Nest Egg Foundation, which has a similar purpose.

During that podcast interview, she also revealed that she'd bonded with some of the other New York Yankees WAGs, particularly Amy Cole, wife of pitcher Gerrit Cole.

New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres is originally from Caracas, Venezuela. That's also the hometown of his wife, Elizabeth; in fact, they first began dating when they were teenagers, back in 2014, when they attended the same Caracas high school. 

They got married four years later, tying the knot in 2017 in Caracas. Torres tweeted a photo of himself and his new bride, writing in the caption, "it's Happening."

In 2022, the couple welcomed their first child, son Ethan. As Torres explained in an interview with MLB.com, he was overwhelmed with emotions upon becoming a parent alongside his wife. "Too many feelings; I feel like my life has changed," he said, admitting that being a new dad had impacted his game. "It's hard. During the game, I was worrying about the baby, if everything is all right," he said. "I don't know; it's my first child. I'm just really happy."

Relief pitcher Luke Weaver signed with the New York Yankees in early 2024, having previously played with the St. Louis Cardinals. He endured a difficult season after a ball hit him, injuring his pitching arm, and even contemplated retirement. During that tough time, he leaned on his wife, Olivia, for support. "He has a great family, his wife [Olivia], two lovely children, his in-laws, his family. I mean, that's his support system," his former college coach, Mike Bell, told Hometown News Volusia.

Weaver and his future wife began dating in 2013, with the athlete sharing a sweet tribute on Instagram to celebrate their second anniversary together. They tied the knot in 2017. "Best day of my life!" he wrote in the caption for a photo he posted on Instagram, taken on their wedding day.

In a 2024 interview, the pitcher told the New York Post why he felt that he and Olivia were such an ideal match. "We have a very similar personality," he said. "We're goofy, we like a lot of the same things, we are fire and ice when it comes to certain things, and we balance out each other in those ways ... She helps me stay even-keeled and humble throughout any success or failures, and challenges me on a daily basis to be myself."

When Yankees relief pitcher Clay Holmes proposed to his future wife, Ashlyn, he decided to take the traditional approach. "She said YES!!" he wrote on Instagram in 2018, accompanying a photo in which he's down on one knee popping the question. They got married in 2019, relocating to New York together when Clay was signed by the Yankees.

Holmes is not shy about expressing his affection for his spouse, which is certainly clear to his Instagram followers. "I am grateful that God has blessed me with such of a supportive, selfless, and loving wife," he wrote in an Instagram tribute in honor of her birthday. "You make everyone's day brighter, and I'm lucky it's every day for me. Through this amazing year of adventure and change, you were the glue that held things together for us. Here's to another year of celebrating you! I love you!"

New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu's previous MLB experience comes from playing with the Chicago Cubs and the Colorado Rockies. He met his wife, Jordan, while they were both attending college in Louisiana back in 2004. They continued dating, weathering the ups and downs of his baseball career together before finally getting married in 2014. Prior to DJ joining the Yankees, Jordan worked in real estate with The Freeman Team Realty, her family's business.

As it happened, 2021 was a particularly big year for the couple; not only did DJ sign a six-year deal with the Yankees worth $90 million, but he and Jordan also announced they were expecting a baby. That May, they welcomed their first child.

Back in 2016, when DJ was still playing for the Rockies, Jordan was interviewed (via MLB) during a game. At the time, the couple was preparing to move into a new home, and she confirmed she was taking the reins when it came to decorating. "Oh, yeah, yeah ..." she said. "Like, I'll show him pictures, he's like, 'Oh, looks good.' I think he trusts me."

Catcher Jose Trevino came to the New York Yankees in 2022, having previously played for the Texas Rangers. Throughout it all, he's relied on the support of his wife, Markie Mandel. After years of dating, Trevino popped the question in 2021. The couple announced their engagement on Instagram, with Mandel showing off her new ring.

The two got married in 2023, with Trevino posting a sweet photo on Instagram in which the bride and groom share a kiss. The couple were already parents of a son when they welcomed another baby boy in 2022. Interviewed by Chris Rose, Trevino revealed he was attempting to convince his wife to name their new son after his childhood hero, former Yankees great Derek Jeter. "I'm trying to get her to agree to Jeter, but I don't know if that's gonna be," Trevino said. "Maybe in the middle, maybe middle name. We'll see."

In a 2022 interview with the New York Post, Trevino gushed about how much support he'd been receiving from Mandel since being traded to the Yankees. "She's been awesome," he said. "She took a lot of pressure off me by looking for housing for us, by making sure I'm comfortable. Basically all I had to worry about was playing baseball. She's been a blessing to me, and she's an awesome mother, and she's the best."

Nestor Cortes Jr. pitched in the first game of the 2024 World Series, added to the roster despite concerns that pitching could exacerbate an elbow injury from which he was recovering. In his personal life, Cortes is married to wife Alondra, who was known as Alondra Russy prior to their marriage. 

They tied the knot in 2023, with Alondra sharing video from their special day on TikTok. While the wedding ceremony was no doubt romantic, the reception that followed got crazy. In a series of photos that she shared on Instagram captioned "crazy hour," the bride and groom can be seen happily dancing, with one pic featuring Alondra riding on the shoulders of another party guest. Meanwhile, several of the photos feature Nestor aiming a plastic water cannon, indicating the festivities may have gotten a bit wet.

Nestor praised his wife in a 2024 Instagram post celebrating her birthday. "Happy Birthday to my wife, my best friend, my confidant, and my forever partner," he wrote, alongside a photo of the newlyweds' wedding. "You are my everything, the one I turn to for laughter, comfort, and support. I'm so lucky to walk through life with you, sharing all the joys and challenges that come our way."

A recent addition to the New York Yankees' roster, fielder Alex Verdugo's previous MLB experience was with the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He and his longtime girlfriend, Luz Yamille Alcala, are the parents of two sons — A.J. and Efrain — and a daughter, Alianna Judith Verdugo, whom they welcomed in the summer of 2024. At the time, Verdugo made headlines when he took paternity leave after her birth in order to spend time with his wife and their expanding family.

Fatherhood, he revealed in an interview with the New York Post, had left him changed. "It's the best thing that I've ever done. It beats any home run, it beats any big play I've ever done. The biggest play I've ever done was holding my son after he was born."

Alcala is clearly close with the other Yankee WAGs, particularly the ones with children. That was evident when she shared a beyond-cute photo on social media, in which Efrain is playing with youngster Willow Rodón, daughter of Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón and his wife, Ashley.