Results have been mixed – very mixed – for the New York Yankees since trading for Giancarlo Stanton in late 2017. Stanton hasn’t been able to come close to his NL MVP form from his final season with the Miami Marlins, with injuries playing a major role.
Lower body injuries have been the biggest culprit in Stanton missing a shocking amount of games during his Yankees career to this point. But in 2025, it was inflammation in both of his elbows that led to him playing in less than half of his team’s games. When Stanton was in the lineup, he was performing at his best level since 2021. He ended the year with a .273/24/66 line in 77 games.
The Yankees were hoping the offseason was enough time for Stanton to recover fully, then hit 2026 with full force. Instead, his tennis elbow only seems to be getting worse. Despite that, Stanton plans to play the entire season: “Just get me in the box“.
Giancarlo Stanton says he can’t open a bag of chips due to elbow injuries
Stanton’s elbow injuries have affected his daily life in a stunning way. As told to NJ.com, the 36-year-old says that on his worst days, “I can’t open a bottle, I can’t open a bag of chips… a bag of anything“. Despite the debilitating nature of his injury, he refuses to feel sorry for himself, and knows fans wouldn’t accept him sulking.
When discussing the possibility of surgery, Stanton believes it would help him in his daily, off-field life, “but my job is to put some of the most force into a batted ball”. If he has surgery, that won’t get fixed, at least in his mind. So until then, he will continue to battle through troublesome days. Whether he can handle a full season remains to be seen.
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