Finally, the New York Yankees received some good news about the health of their players, and more so with one of their offensive pillars, designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton. The slugger, who has been unable to play in 2025 due to problems with both elbows, participated in live batting practice on Tuesday, which is an important step in his return to the roster
In this regard, Stanton confirmed that his return schedule is set for the end of May
Stanton participated in a live batting practice session for the first time this year, as he spent the offseason undergoing treatment to try to reduce the tendinitis that has affected both of his elbows since the start of spring training. In 10 pitches he received, he hit a grounder to shortstop and worked a full-count walk in two at-bats against right-hander Jake Cousins.
The long wait for Giancarlo Stanton
This situation is excellent news for Stanton, given what happened last week, when the Yankees moved his status from 15 to 60 days on the disabled list, pushing his return date back to May 27, although it was considered a procedural decision by the Yankees management
The team needed a spot on the 40-man roster to claim Bryan De La Cruz off waivers. As Stanton was not ready yet, they kept him on the list to have the full roster
Stanton, 35, said he will begin a new phase of rehabilitation and clarified that he did not have a deadline to begin treatment. Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated that Stanton probably will not need a long rehabilitation because he does not play defense:
“It depends on what kind of arms I have available (for live batting practice sessions) and how I feel in those at-bats,” Stanton said.
Stanton, who also took batting practice on the field Wednesday, has undergone different injection treatments to reduce pain and inflammation in his elbows, but acknowledged that he will play in pain when he returns to the batter’s box: “If I’m on the field, I’ll be good enough to play,” Stanton said.
In 2024, Stanton played the entire World Series in pain, but still hit seven home runs in 14 postseason games. He stopped hitting altogether in January due to the intense pain he had in both elbows and was barely able to take the bat until March, but it seems that he will manage to avoid the possibility of undergoing surgery that would end his season, so he decided to wait
“I know that when G is there, he will be ready to play,” Boone said. “He won’t be there if he doesn’t feel like he can be really productive, so I know that when that time comes, when he’s ready to do it, we’ll be in a good position.”
“And hopefully we’ve done some things, in the latter part of the winter and into the spring, that will prepare him to be able to physically do it and withstand it. But we also understand that he’s probably going to have to deal with some things,” Boone concluded.
Read the full article here
