TAMPA — The Yankees lineup has no shortage of star power. Aaron Judge anchors the middle of the order. Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. bring versatility. Austin Wells is on the rise. But the player who could separate this Yankees roster from the rest of the American League is the one who has spent the past several springs battling his own body just to get on the field.
Giancarlo Stanton is healthy. He is hitting the ball as hard as anyone in baseball. And less than a week before Opening Day, the Yankees are trying not to get too excited about what they are seeing.
“If we can just bottle this up and move it north …” manager Aaron Boone said with a grin after a 5-4 win over the Orioles at Steinbrenner Field.
Exit velocities that only Stanton can produce
Over a two-game stretch this week, Stanton put six balls in play. Five of them registered exit velocities above 100 mph. He flew out on balls hit at 112.4 mph and 110.5 mph. One sacrifice fly left his bat at 104.8 mph. Another fly out came off at 104.1 mph. His fourth home run of the spring, a shot down the right field line, was clocked at 100.1 mph.
Boone believes the wind robbed Stanton of several more Yankees home runs over those two cold days in Tampa.
“Probably with the weather switch, he’s probably got five homers the last couple games,” Boone said. “He looks great, feels great, obviously.”
Through 22 at-bats this spring, the Yankees slugger has four home runs and a 1.079 OPS. The raw numbers only tell part of the story. It is the way the ball sounds off his bat that has the New York camp buzzing.
A healthy Stanton changes everything for the Yankees
The biggest question surrounding Stanton every year is whether he can stay on the field. He has not completed a full season with the Yankees since his first year in the Bronx in 2018. Last year, severe tennis elbow in both arms delayed his debut until mid-June. He still managed to hit 24 home runs with a .944 OPS in just 77 games, the highest OPS of his eight-year Yankees tenure.
The elbow condition has not healed. Stanton acknowledged this spring that the pain is a permanent part of his life. He said he cannot open a bag of chips. But he arrived at Yankees camp leaner and without restrictions. Boone confirmed Stanton had a great offseason and would not be held back.
Stanton’s 453 career home runs are the most of any active player in baseball. He could reach the 500 home run club as early as 2027. But personal milestones are not what drive the Yankees veteran.
“Those numbers are not the same as ‘We’re going to win the World Series,'” Stanton said. “That’s the way I’m looking at it.”
Stanton gets outfield reps in a promising Yankees sign
In another encouraging development, Stanton played five innings in right field on Friday. It was his first game action in the outfield this spring. While he is expected to remain primarily the Yankees’ designated hitter, the club wants to keep the outfield option available in case they need another bat in the DH spot from time to time.
Stanton played 20 games in the outfield last season after Judge’s flexor strain forced Boone to get creative with the Yankees lineup. That was enough to maintain outfield eligibility. The fact that the Yankees are giving him defensive reps this spring signals confidence in his physical condition.
“His presence in the middle of the lineup is really big,” Boone said. “I really noticed it in 2024.”
Why the Yankees need Stanton more than ever in 2026
The Yankees had baseball’s highest-scoring offense in 2025. They brought most of it back. But with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon both starting the season on the injured list, the margin for error is thin. The Yankees lineup needs to carry the team early.
Stanton is the variable that changes the math. In 2024, he was the ALCS MVP and hit seven postseason home runs across 14 games. When he is right, the Yankees’ lineup goes from dangerous to nearly impossible to navigate. Judge, Stanton, Bellinger and Wells give Boone four hitters who can leave the yard from any count.
The risk is the same as it has always been. Stanton’s body has limited him to just 41 out of 222 regular season games over the 2023 and 2024 seasons combined. If the elbow flares up or something else breaks down, the Yankees lose their X-factor and Jasson Dominguez or someone from Triple-A fills the DH spot.
But right now, five days before the opener in San Francisco, Stanton is doing things with a baseball that only he can do. The exit velocities are elite. The swing is on time. The body is cooperating. If the Yankees can bottle that up and take it north, as Boone hopes, this could be the season Stanton finally stays healthy long enough to remind everyone just how devastating he can be.
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