After four straight seasons of playing at least 100 games, the 2025 season saw New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton limited to 77 appearances. Dealing with tennis elbow in both arms limited his ability to play and he’s come to terms with the fact that the injury will affect the rest of his career.
Using the winter to rest did not do much to allow the 36-year-old Stanton to fully heal.
“You have your good days and bad days, just like your mood and everything,” Stanton told NJ.com’s Randy Miller on Wednesday.
After not beginning his 2025 season until June 16, Stanton finished with 24 home runs, 66 RBI and slashed .273/.350/.594. He has yet to play in any spring training games this year, but is scheduled to be available next Tuesday when the Yankees face Panama’s World Baseball Classic team.
The elbow issue isn’t just affecting Stanton’s on-field responsibilities; it’s also affecting him away from the field.
“I can’t open a bottle. I can’t open a bag of chips … a bag of anything,” Stanton told Miller. “That’s the way it is.”
Injuries have been a story of Stanton’s MLB career. Since breaking in with the Miami Marlins in 2013, he has played in 64% (1,353) of a possible 2,106 games. He has not played more than 139 games in a season since 2017 and 2018 when he played 159 in his final season with the Marlins and 158 during his first year with the Yankees.
Having been among the top batters in exit velocity (at least 93 mph in each of the past six seasons, according to StatCast data), Stanton doesn’t believe surgery would have solved his elbow issues.
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“That’s not going to be fixed in surgery, and I don’t care what any doctor says because they don’t know what’s going on,” Stanton said. “What’s written [about my elbows] is what me and the Yankees give you.”
The goal for Stanton, however realistic, is a full 162-game schedule.
“You never come into a season thinking it’s not going to be a huge season, but you let the season play out,” Stanton said. “Just get me in the box. The key is get in the box.”
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