The injury situation surrounding New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton was already disconcerting, but it is now taking an even more troubling turn. He has left the team’s spring training facility in Tampa, Florida to undergo testing in New York for the tennis elbow he is experiencing in both arms, via the New York Post’s Greg Joyce and Jon Heyman (originally reported by NJ.com).
Translation: Yikes! Yankees fans are well-versed in Stanton injury news by now, but with Juan Soto on the Mets, and aging hitters filling the middle order of the lineup, it is important that manager Aaron Boone has enough healthy bodies to turn to this season. Stanton is well behind schedule as he deals with an issue that first afflicted him last year.
It seems ill-advised to pencil the 2017 National League MVP into the team’s batting order for Opening Day, but this latest update could portend an even lengthier recovery period. He convinced many fans to slightly lower their guard after helping the Yankees reach their first World Series in 15 years.
Stanton smashed four home runs and seven RBIs in five games versus the Cleveland Guardians en route to earning American League Championship Series MVP honors. Those robust numbers followed a regular season in which the right-handed slugger batted .233 with 27 dingers and 72 RBIs in 114 games.
Stanton’s chronic injury problems prevent him from coming close to validating the 13-year, $325 million contract extension he signed with the Miami Marlins in November of 2014, but the five-time All-Star is still producing when in the batter’s box. Though, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to predict when those infrequent at-bats will occur.
Can the 2025 Yankees afford an extended Stanton IL stint?
The 35-year-old has not played at least 130 games in a campaign since 2021, and after suffering a setback before spring training even started, that distressing trend could very well continue. New York should ideally possess enough offensive firepower in the form of Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Austin Wells, among others, to push them through in his potential absence.
If Giancarlo Stanton can retain his reputable playoff production (.265/.331/.662/.994 slash line), then the Yankees will gladly give him all the time he needs to get healthy. Nevertheless, they would surely love to see him quickly rejoin the club in Florida.
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