Stanton will not Play in this Week’s Subway Series Against the Mets
Yankees will start the first leg of the Subway Series against Mets at Citi Field on Tuesday. Giancarlo Stanton was placed on the 10-day injured list by the Yankees on Tuesday due to left Achilles tendonitis. Tim Locastro, an outfielder, was called up for a corresponding change.
Stanton did not start either of the Yankees’ games on Saturday or Sunday, though he did pinch hit on Saturday. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he kept Stanton out of the lineup this weekend to give him extra rest after he didn’t get an All-Star break, though there was obviously more to it given the Achilles problem. Stanton could be out for 2-3 weeks, according to Boone.
After missing most of 2019 due to injuries and DHing exclusively in 2020, the Yankees increased Stanton’s outfield workload last year, and he’s played more games in the outfield (38) this year than at DH (37). However, Stanton missed 10 days in May due to a calf injury and is now out with an Achilles problem. In order to keep him on the field, the Yankees may limit his outfield time.
With Stanton out, the Yankees have Josh Donaldson, DJ LeMahieu, and Gleyber Torres competing for two infield spots, and they plan to use the DH spot to get all three. Of course, the trade deadline is just a week away, if Stanton is out for an extended period of time New York could bring in another bat.
Stanton, 32, is tied for sixth in baseball with 24 home runs, but a slump just before the All-Star break reduced his season batting line to .228/.309/.448 through 80 games. In 139 games last year, he hit .273/.354/.516 with 35 home runs. It was the most games he had played since 2018.
The Yankees have the best record in baseball (66-31), and they lead the AL East by 12.5 games. With such a large division lead, they have the luxury of not rushing Stanton back and instead allowing him to recover at his own pace.
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