The New York Yankees are already looking forward to the return of slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who has been out of Major League Baseball since the 2024 World Series with an elbow injury and is getting closer to returning to action in the world’s best baseball
The Yankees’ active home run leader played his first rehab game Tuesday with the Somerset Patriots, the Bronx Bombers’ Double-A affiliate, and left a very good impression in his four plate appearances
Stanton, 35, batted just ahead of the Yankees’ top two prospects, George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones, in the lineup according to MLB Pipeline
That detail did not affect the veteran, who drove in three runs, hit a pair of hits and received a walk in the Patriots’ 8-1 victory over the Portland Sea Dogs, a team affiliated with the Boston Red Sox
In his first at-bat, the slugger failed on a grounder to shortstop, but after that they could not find a way to get him out. In the third inning, he was walked and then caught fire with his bat by hitting two consecutive hits that served to extend the Patriots’ lead
His first rocket in this reappearance was a long shot to center field that bounced and hit the fences. Stanton stood firm in the batter’s box against an 89 mph cutter from right-hander David Sandlin, who looked for the low zone and was punished by the experienced slugger.
With that connection, he drove in two runs, but that was not all, as in his next at-bat he also singled and drove in another run
Despite this display, Aaron Judge did not miss the opportunity to challenge Stanton when he learned of what he had done in the Minor Leagues. “Only singles?”, said the surprised Yankees captain, who then joked and downplayed his teammate’s performance
“He’ll figure it out. Don’t worry about it,” added Judge, who showed confidence in Stanton’s full recovery and return to form. The slugger is the second most home runs (162) for the Yankees since joining the franchise in 2018
Return date to be defined
The Yankees announced that Stanton will be back with the Patriots on Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader, but his case is being evaluated day by day and it is still not known when he will be back in the Major Leagues
“Stanton just needs to develop his physique and get to a point where he knows he’s had enough at-bats and enough reps to get back into the game in the season,” manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday after the Yankees’ 10-2 victory over Kansas
“He’s had a great acceleration. He’s already had a lot of at-bats, even before his rehab start, so we’re just making sure he feels really good about when he’s ready to join us,” the mentor added
Although there are good feelings, Boone did not dare to put an exact date on Stanton’s return. That will be a joint decision between the team and the designated hitter, said the New York manager
Stanton’s last game with the Yankees was in last year’s World Series, in which the Bronx Bombers lost in five games to the Dodgers. The slugger was by far the team’s best hitter in the 2024 postseason, with seven home runs, 16 RBIs and a 1.048 OPS, even winning the Championship Series MVP against the Guardians
The management placed Stanton on the injured list in late March with epicondylitis in both elbows, not knowing exactly when he might return. This injury, coupled with Gerrit Cole’s, did not bode well for the Yankees, but they have managed to stay afloat and are the undisputed leaders of the American League East.
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