The New York Yankees may be without Giancarlo Stanton for the rest of the season. Stanton, who has not played since April 24 due to two separate right calf strains, suffered a left calf strain running the bases during his rehab work earlier this week, manager Aaron Boone announced Saturday. It is a moderate strain, but it may keep him out for the rest of the year, Boone said.
"Unfortunately, he strained his other calf. He was running a couple days ago, had fallen, and the other calf is strained," Boone said. "It's a moderate grade. What that means moving forward, we're not ruling anything out. He'll obviously continue to work to try to get it right and hopefully be available, but obviously we're at a point in the calendar where it gets challenging."
Injuries, primarily lower-body soft tissue injuries, have limited Stanton to 606 of 1,160 regular-season games since 2019. He played 24 games prior to his initial calf injury this season. Last year, Stanton, 36, played 77 games, during which he hit .273/.350/.594 with 24 home runs. When healthy, he's typically performed very well. He's just not healthy very often.
Truth be told, Stanton may have only had a small role had he rejoined the club this season. The Yankees added Luis García Jr. and Heliot Ramos at the trade deadline to lengthen the lineup. It's possible Stanton would have been relegated to a platoon role at DH and pinch-hitting duties against lefties in the late innings. That said, if he had hit, he would have played.
For Stanton, this year's ongoing calf issues likely rule out any chance at joining the 500 home run club. He is the active leader with 456 home runs. Next season is the final season on Stanton's then-record 13-year, $325 million contract.
Bellinger set to return, Judge working his way back
Cody Bellinger will come off the injured list Sunday after missing a month with a hamstring strain. Aaron Judge has not played since May 31 due to a broken rib. He started hitting off a tee this past week and is looking at a mid-September return at the earliest. The Yankees are also without third baseman Ryan McMahon. He has a thumb sprain.
A hypothetical Yankees lineup with everyone but Stanton healthy figures to look something like this:
- CF Trent Grisham, LHB and Heliot Ramos, RHB
- DH Ben Rice, LHB
- RF Aaron Judge, LHB
- LF Cody Bellinger, LHB (CF when Ramos plays)
- 1B Luis García Jr., LHB
- 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr., LHB and José Caballero, RHB
- SS George Lombard Jr., RHB
- 3B Ryan McMahon, LHB and Amed Rosario, RHB
- C Austin Wells, LHB and Ali Sánchez, RHB
Until Judge returns, Spencer Jones will play regularly in the outfield, and it's possible he'll play regularly even after Judge returns. How he and Grisham perform will determine that. Caballero, Jones, and Ramos are everyday players for the time being with Bellinger, Judge, and McMahon on the shelf.
The Yankees have won five straight games and are 73-55 on the season. They're three games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East and sit comfortably in the top wild card spot despite having one of the lowest scoring offenses in baseball since Judge's injury.
