Giancarlo Stanton’s return to the New York Yankees lineup is still an uncertainty.
Manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Saturday that the veteran slugger has not yet been scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment. That was approximately 10 days after Stanton had faced live batting practice for the first time since being shut down during spring training due to tendinitis in both elbows.
With Stanton not going through a typical spring training preparation for the 2025 season, a minor league rehab assignment will likely be necessary. However, Boone said that he wouldn’t require a long rehab in the minors (the maximum allowed for position players is 20 days) because he doesn’t play a defensive position.
Stanton was transferred to the 60-day injured list on May 1 to open up a spot on the Yankees’ 40-man roster. That makes him eligible to be activated on May 24. However, the team projected that a mid-June return was more likely after Stanton goes through a ramp-up process expected to take approximately two months.
During spring training, Stanton left the Yankees’ camp in Tampa to undergo medical tests by team doctors in New York. He also received two rounds of platelet-rich plasma injections in both elbows to try accelerating the healing process.
Surgery was viewed as a last resort because it would sideline Stanton for three months. Yet if the Yankees had known about Stanton’s condition earlier in the offseason, the team might have encouraged that option. Instead, the team didn’t know how serious Stanton’s condition was until he informed them shortly before spring training, saying he hadn’t swung a bat for three to four weeks.
In Stanton’s absence, the Yankees have gotten a collective .284 average (fourth in MLB) and .987 OPS (second in the league) with 14 doubles, 15 home runs and 30 RBI from the designated hitter spot. Ben Rice has gotten most of the at-bats at DH, batting .250/.348/.529 with 10 doubles, nine homers and 20 RBI.
Rice took grounders at third base before Sunday night’s game, raising questions as to whether he could move to another position, perhaps in anticipation of Stanton’s return. However, Boone dismissed those notions, saying Rice was “just doing it for fun.” The Yankees could use the help at third base, where their collective .203 average and .568 OPS at the position are near the bottom of MLB.
Last season, Stanton batted .233 with a .773 OPS, 27 home runs, 20 doubles and 72 RBI in 114 games. He was also impactful during the postseason, hitting seven home runs with a 1.048 OPS. With four of those homers against the Cleveland Guardians, Stanton was named ALCS MVP.
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