The Yankees officially announced that Giancarlo Stanton won’t be available for the start of the season, as the slugger will be placed on the injured list due to his recurring elbow issues. The 2017 NL MVP Stanton received PRP injections in both elbows, and is expected to return to the team’s spring camp later this week after dealing with an unspecified personal matter in New York.
The announcement doesn’t come as any surprise, as Stanton hasn’t swung a bat in five or six weeks due to continued soreness in his elbows. Two weeks ago, Stanton and manager Aaron Boone described the problem as similar to tennis elbow, with Stanton noting that some tendon damage had taken place. While surgery wasn’t being considered, surgery would naturally become an option (or inevitable) in the event of an actual tendon tear, which is why Stanton said he and the team were being cautious in their approach to the injuries.
No timetable was announced for Stanton’s recovery, but probably the end of April would represent a best-case scenario for the five-time All-Star to make his 2025 debut. Some time will be needed to evaluate Stanton’s elbows in the aftermath of the PRP treatment, and if all is well, he’d then need to start his usual ramp-up proceedings after missing so much of both spring training and even his pre-camp offseason work. Given Stanton’s long history of leg-related injuries, he’ll need some prep time beyond just hitting work, even if he is going to be a DH-only player this season.
Injuries have long hampered Stanton’s career, and kept from fully delivering on the whopping 13-year, $325M contract he signed with the Marlins back in November 2014. There is still $96M owed to Stanton in the final three guaranteed years of that deal, counting the $10M, though the Yankees are only responsible for covering $66M of that figure as per the terms of the trade that brought Stanton from Miami to New York in December 2017.
Stanton has been pretty productive (.241/.323/.483 with 162 home runs in 2,776 plate appearances) during his time in the pinstripes, and has can still looked like one of baseball’s most dangerous hitters from time to time. However, those red-hot streaks have been countered by both extended slumps, and several times when Stanton has simply been unable to play due to injury.
The 2024 season saw Stanton miss about five weeks due to a hamstring strain, though he bounced back reasonably well from a down year in 2023. Stanton hit .233/.298/.475 with 27 home runs in 459 PA last season, which translated to a 116 wRC+ even if low average and on-base numbers continue to be a concern. The slugger then elevated his game in October, hitting .273/.339/.709 with seven homers over 62 PA during New York’s playoff run, and he captured ALCS MVP honors for his huge performance in the Yankees’ five-game elimination of the Guardians.
Following up that great postseason with yet another significant injury is undoubtedly a huge frustration for Stanton as he enters his 16th MLB campaign (and his age-35 season). The fact that these elbow problems are an entirely new injury for Stanton could be viewed in one of two ways — either as a positive that he isn’t again dealing with leg problems, or as a negative that Stanton is now dealing with elbow issues on top of the ever-present concern over his lower body.
With Stanton out, the Yankees might just opt to fill the designated hitter spot with a rotation of players, in order to spread around at-bats and partial rest days for other veterans like Aaron Judge, Paul Goldschmidt or DJ LeMahieu. In terms of overall roster construction, Ben Rice now looks to have a better chance of making the Opening Day roster, and picking up some DH at-bats himself.
An external addition also can’t be ruled out, if Stanton is facing an extended amount of time on the IL. Reports have already indicated the Yankees have been in touch with J.D. Martinez, perhaps laying some groundwork for a future contract in case Stanton isn’t making much progress in a couple of weeks’ time. Adding a prominent veteran like Martinez, however, would also threaten to push the Yankees’ even further over the top luxury-tax tire — RosterResource projects New York’s tax number at roughly $305.1M, and beyond the upper penalty threshold of $301M.
