NEW YORK — One day after Giancarlo Stanton’s cautious movement during a Yankees workout became ammunition for social-media ridicule, the veteran slugger supplied a much more important image.
He went deep.
Stanton faced pitchers Wednesday at the Yankees’ Double-A complex in Somerset, New Jersey, took six or seven live at-bats, ran the bases and hit a home run as he attempts an improbable return for the postseason.
Manager Aaron Boone is no longer completely dismissing the possibility.
“Putting them on the outskirts of the conversation,” Boone said of Stanton and injured center fielder Trent Grisham, who also worked out at Somerset.
It was a notable change in tone at precisely the moment Stanton’s five-month injury ordeal had become a punch line online.
Stanton workout draws brutal fan reaction
During Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays, Stanton appeared on the Yankee Stadium field between games performing agility exercises.
The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner posted video of the workout.
Instead of excitement over seeing Stanton move again, the clip generated a wave of mocking responses.
“There is nothing agile about Giancarlo Stanton,” one fan wrote, while others questioned whether the slow, deliberate movements should qualify as agility work at all.
The reaction reflected the frustration surrounding a season that effectively disappeared for Stanton almost as soon as it began.
He has not played since April 24, when he suffered a right calf strain.
The 36-year-old appeared to be nearing a return before another setback. Then, in August, Stanton strained his left calf while running bases, an injury Boone described at the time as moderate grade.
Stanton has appeared in only 24 games this season, batting .256 with three home runs and 14 RBIs.
Yet the Wednesday workout showed why the Yankees have never completely closed the door.
His legs remain the issue.
His bat may not be.
Boone sees narrow October possibility
Boone made clear that Stanton is not suddenly being considered for a normal everyday role.
“You’re looking more at a pinch-hit scenario,” Boone said. “We’ll see if that’s even a realistic option.”
That distinction matters.
New York does not necessarily need Stanton to prove he can play nine innings or run comfortably enough to handle regular designated-hitter duty.
The question could become much simpler: Can he provide one dangerous plate appearance late in a postseason game?
Few Yankees have built a stronger October resume.
Stanton has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to change playoff games with one swing, and his raw power remains the reason the club has continued allowing him to push toward a return despite a season wrecked by injuries.
The Yankees’ current circumstances make the possibility even harder to ignore.
Aaron Judge is dealing with a right calf strain of his own, leaving New York facing the possibility of entering its American League Wild Card Series without its captain at full strength.
The Yankees are on track to host Boston in the best-of-three round beginning Tuesday.
Adding Stanton, even in a highly restricted role, would give Boone another right-handed threat for a late-game matchup.
Yankees face complicated Stanton gamble
There is also a larger issue hanging over every Stanton update.
Availability has defined his Yankees tenure almost as much as his extraordinary power.
The former National League MVP has missed 500 of a possible 1,194 games since joining New York, according to the Associated Press.
He is also nearing the end of the 13-year, $325 million contract he originally signed with Miami.
Stanton is owed $25 million next season, while his deal includes a club option for 2028 with a $10 million buyout.
None of that will matter much if he steps to the plate in October and changes a game.
Tuesday’s video made Stanton’s Yankees comeback attempt look painfully slow.
Wednesday’s home run made it relevant again.
Now the Yankees must determine whether one of the strangest injury sagas of their season can produce one final postseason weapon.
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