Giancarlo Stanton The latest news about an elbow injury was provided this morning, preventing him from playing this spring. He told reporters, including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, that every elbow of his elbow was “deemed serious”. Yankees DH is still not sure when he will be able to return to any kind of baseball. While he doesn’t know if the elbow surgery is needed, he said the surgery will exclude him from the 2025 season if he walks under the knife. Thankfully, General Motors Brian Cashman recently described the surgery as a “lasting move” for Stanton (Per Hoch).
The 35-year-old received two rounds of PRP injections on both elbows and will be in the third round next week. When Stanton is currently with his other Yankees teammates, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Hodge) that DH is unlikely to see any game moves in spring practice. Last weekend, the Yankees announced Stanton will open the season in Illinois. They did not provide a schedule for his return. Today’s updates don’t necessarily drive an already uncertain timeline, but Stanton’s use of the term “severe” certainly has no hope, and there’s no possibility of missing out on the entire 2025 campaign.
It’s hard to know how to attribute Stanton to the fact that he made the “bat adjustment” in 2024. On the one hand, it is encouraging that he was able to identify the problem. Hopefully this means he knows how to avoid scrutiny of the issue after he wields the bat again. Stanton’s powerful swing, on the other hand, is his signature skill. According to Statcast, he swung the fastest last season even in the mid-thirties. It’s worth mentioning whether he can make the necessary bat adjustments to ensure the elbows are safe without weakening his swing.
It has been a few years since Stanton became a true superstar, but he remains a valuable contributor to the 2024 New York Championship Team. He beat 27 home runs with 72 RBIs and 116 WRC+. His Bats are particularly powerful in the playoffs. He led by 16 RBIs in 14 games. Yankees add some solid additions to the first half of this winter order, trade Cody Bellinger and sign free agent Paul Goldschmidt. Nevertheless, their offense was not expected to be Juan Soto Hit the ball in front of you Judge Aaron. Losing Stanton in any period will only further weaken the roster.
Boone said earlier this week that he likes internal candidates and that the team must replace Stanton, “especially pitching to the right hand” (every hoch). This may mean more frequent use of DH judges and starting left-handed Trent Grisham In the outfield. While Grisham’s bats are far from Stanton’s, this arrangement will improve outfield defense and can help stay healthy throughout the season. Another left-handed option to get some representation in DH is Benreis. Despite his struggles in his rookie season (73 WRC+ in 178 PA), Rice pounded across the minors and could replace some power in Stanton. JC Escarra It is another left-handed batsman in the 40-man lineup. He is close to 30 and has not made his debut in MLB yet, but he performed well in his first year with the Yankees last season. Dominic SmithThis spring, an experienced non-member inviter in the camp is another left-handed bat to remember.
Meanwhile, the most likely option to join the mix with the left hand pitch, both in the outfield and in the DH, may be Everson Pereira. Like Rice, Pereira struggled with her debut last season, but always played well in the minor leagues – especially in the power sector. Pereira hit .375 with 1.224 OPS in seven games this spring. When he recovered from UCL surgery, his responsibilities in spring training were limited to DH responsibilities, but he could eventually attend some delegates at the outfield judges as well.
Finally, people have to wonder if Cashman is considering making an offer to free agents JD Martinez. While the Yankees can’t flip the list at the same time, the former’s end-of-season surgery may open the door for the latter. To this end, New York reportedly had “some connections” with Martinez. In a recent MLBTR poll, multiple respondents voted Yankees as the most likely landing site for the 37-year-old DH.
