[10][11] Aarts finished 2018 having played 16 matches and holding averages of 13 disposals, four tackles and one goal a game, and earned an invitation to the Victorian state draft combine.

[12] He began his first AFL-listed season by playing reserves grade practice matches with the VFL team in March 2020, including with a three-goal haul in the last of those outings.

[13][14] Aarts missed the opening round of the VFL season with injury but by the end of April was labelled "ready for an AFL opportunity" by reserves coach Craig McRae.

[31][32] In the early months of the 2019/20 pre-season, Aarts suffered from groin and hip soreness and had limited participation in training, before returning to full fitness by the first week of February 2020.

[40][41][42] In place of the cancelled VFL season, Aarts' return to match-play came through organised reserves practice matches against opposition team's unselected players.

[7][44][45][46] Aarts made a solid debut with 15 disposals and three score involvements in the shortened game, played with quarter lengths reduced by one fifth like all matches in that pandemic-affected 17-round season.

[47][48][49] In the week that followed, Aarts moved with the main playing group when the club was relocated to the Gold Coast in response to a virus outbreak in Melbourne.

[53][54][55] He remained in the senior side for the rest of the regular season, including as the game's equal-leading goalscorer in a round 18 win over Adelaide despite a minor shoulder injury sustained during the match.