The New York Yankees don’t do alternate jerseys. For 123 years, it has strictly been home pinstripes and road grays. But the clubhouse is pushing to break a century of tradition, and an already frustrated fanbase isn’t having it.

The Yankees might be getting a new look on the road if owner Hal Steinbrenner agrees to it. According to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, Aaron Judge and co. recently asked the front office to allow them to wear their navy batting-practice shirts during some away games instead of their standard gray uniforms.

“Players suggested the team, during occasional road games, wear its navy batting practice jerseys, which feature ‘New York’ across the chest in gray letters and numbers with white trim and the Starr Insurance sleeve patch. The players did not propose any changes to the home uniforms or to the regular road jerseys,” wrote Kuty of The Athletic.

Until now, the Yankees have only two official jerseys — the pinstripes for home games and the gray uniforms for road games. According to a Yankees spokesperson, MLB approved the navy alternates for in-game use before 2025 only, but the debut timeline remains unclear.

Other than the Athletics, who are in the middle of changing home cities, the Yankees are the only MLB team without a City Connect uniform. They are also the only franchise without players’ names on the back of the uniforms. Even the Los Angeles Dodgers have recently added an alternative blue jersey for road games to their players’ closets.

Ultimately, owner Hal Steinbrenner has the final say.

Steinbrenner has already shown a willingness to make some changes in the Yankees’ traditions. For instance, he removed the 49-year-old facial hair ban in 2025. In 2023, they added the logo of Starr Insurance, their first jersey sponsor, on the uniform sleeves.

Now, per Kuty, players are optimistic about wearing the alternative jersey soon, but the Bleacher Creatures do not share the same enthusiasm.

Yankees fans frustrated about proposed jersey change

The New York Yankees’ fans are in for keeping tradition, and they did not hold back from voicing it on X.

“First, they get rid of the old greys with the white borders. Then they end the facial hair policy for some clown that lasted a miserable year. Now they want cool blue alternate uniforms. Yankee execs are pushovers. Keep tradition. Win championships. Be the New York Yankees,” wrote one.

The Yankees removed the white outlines and sleeve trims from their gray road jerseys in 2024. Aaron Judge asked for the change, wanting a cleaner, vintage look. Hal Steinbrenner also lifted the facial hair ban that his father, George Steinbrenner, started back in 1976. The change was driven by ex-closer Devin Williams’ discussions with GM Brian Cashman. While Williams left for their crosstown rivals, the Mets, on 3-year, $51 million contract, his one-year presence in the pinstripes changed the long-standing tradition. There was only one clause: The players, coaches, and executives are required to have only well-groomed facial hair.

Another fan quipped, “Might be the best thing that could happen because this team doesn’t resemble the Yankees franchise as it is. See, the old Yankees with no beards and the same uniforms did this dumb thing, they won championships; this team? Worries more about what they look like than winning.”

Fans are visibly frustrated with their World Series drought, and they associate the old uniforms with their championship titles. The Yankees have won 27 WS rings from 1923 to 2009, and none since then. Their last ALDS and ALCS wins came in 2024, the same year they lost the WS to the Dodgers. Last season, the Toronto Blue Jays eliminated them in the division series.

One comment read, “Players who can’t win anything get to make demands and destroy more traditions just like they did with the beard rule,” while another remarked, “How about win a championship before you start asking to change traditions? The fact that this got far enough for the media to hear about it is a damn shame.”

The Yankees’ fans are clearly not receptive to the proposed change, especially with their performances in recent years. However, if the players want fans to be on board with them, it appears a World Series ring might help.

“All this is going to be is another money grab. Either the Yankees are about tradition, or they are not,” remarked another on X. The Yankees reportedly receive an average of $25 million per year from adding the Starr Insurance logo on their jersey sleeves. Now, fans suspect that introducing new jerseys might mean the same.

Even then, some fans expressed a bit of leniency.

“I don’t mind the players wanting to be a little more expressive and experimental. Personally, I’m happy with just the home pinstripes and road grays, but an alternate road jersey used occasionally isn’t the end of the world. It’s much less egregious than jersey and helmet ads,” wrote one.

Several Yanks have been pitching higher-ups about the idea. Giancarlo Stanton even revealed that the suggestion has been in the works “for a few years.” For Judge, Stanton, and Co., these jerseys might spruce things up, especially because they are “mostly in our lockers.” In fact, manager Aaron Boone also seemed on board with the plan.

“It’s 2026. A lot of teams have a lot of different uniforms.”

Most importantly, Hal Steinbrenner has been open to changes, including in-game entertainment at Yankee Stadium like music and sound effects that accompany nearly every pitch.

While we are yet to see if and when the change happens, one thing that fans may need to understand is that the clunhouse is not looking to “reinvent the wheel,” as Williams put it. It’s just bringing in the already-existing jerseys to play and not just practice. And if the Yankees manage to show their winning mentality, fans may also start aligning.