HOUSTON — The Yankees were rolling into Saturday night on an eight-game winning streak. Eight straight wins. The AL East lead. A healthy roster that had not yet placed anyone on the injured list.
Then came the news before first pitch.
Reliever Angel Chivilli was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder discomfort. And on the other side of the clubhouse, Giancarlo Stanton was out of the lineup again, telling reporters he still needed more time to know how serious his right calf was.
Two injury problems on the same day. One already official. One still being evaluated.
Chivilli lands on the IL after shoulder trouble in Boston
The Chivilli news was the one the Yankees did not see coming.
Manager Aaron Boone explained exactly how it unfolded. The timeline goes back to Boston, the last stop before Houston. The team was in the visitors’ clubhouse at Fenway Park on Thursday when Chivilli felt something wrong while simply putting on his shirt.
Boone laid out what happened next in plain terms. The reliever had been getting treatment since that moment. He tried to throw Saturday to test the shoulder before anyone made a decision. It did not go well.
“The last day in Boston when he was putting his shirt on, he kind of felt his shoulder bother him,” Boone said. “He’s been getting treatment the last couple days, and then he went out and tried to throw just to see and it wasn’t great. So it’s an IL for him.”
Chivilli came over from the Rockies in the offseason, was called up April 15, and allowed just one run in 2 1/3 innings across two outings. Now he heads back to New York for imaging.
“He’ll probably head back to New York and get testing and see where we’re at over the next few days,” Boone said.
The roster move placed the IL date retroactive to April 23. Left-hander Ryan Weathers returned from the paternity list to start Saturday night, and Jake Bird remained in the bullpen rather than being sent back down. That left the Yankees a reliever short until they make another move.
Stanton describes the exact moment he felt the calf go
On Friday night, Stanton jogged from first to second on a Chisholm walk and felt something wrong. He tried to signal the dugout from second but got no response. He only advanced to third on Escarra’s single and stood on the bag instead of scoring. Grichuk replaced him.
Saturday morning gave Stanton a better read on where things stood. He spoke to reporters before the game and gave a precise account of what he had felt on the bases the night before.
“I feel better than yesterday,” Stanton said. “I felt it in between first and second base. I feel better than yesterday, but I’m going to get to 24 hours or maybe Sunday to see where we’re at and then decide what to do.”
He walked through the sequence of events. He said the initial single felt fine. The trouble started on the jog to second.
“It felt fine at first and then there was a walk to get me to second, but I didn’t just walk to second,” Stanton said. “I gave it a jog and it felt weird. And then my secondary leads at second kept feeling weird. I was trying to get out of the game at second before any more hard steps to set me back.”
The Yankees had not scheduled an MRI as of Saturday afternoon. Boone said medical staff had Stanton covered.
“He has experience with that part of the body and knows what it is,” Boone said. “All our people have hands on him and eyes on him if we need to do testing.”
Stanton’s injury history adds weight to every update
Stanton, 36, has missed significant time throughout his nine Yankees seasons. He missed the first 70 games of last year with chronic tennis elbow in both arms. This season he was healthy through 24 games, hitting .256 with three homers, 14 RBIs, and even a stolen base, his first since 2020.
Stanton said his injury history does not change how he approaches this situation. He was honest about his frustration without letting it show too much.
“None of that matters really,” he said. “It’s just what’s the deal with me? And then decide what’s best for the team.”
Boone acknowledged that Stanton was likely frustrated privately, but praised the way his DH handles adversity.
“I’m sure there’s a part of him that’s ticked off about it, but one of the great things about G is he’s very honest and he deals with what’s in front of him,” Boone said. “He’s very good at compartmentalizing everything. Hopefully this is something that’s a short-term thing.”
Yankees have options if Stanton lands on the IL
The Yankees did not call up a position player from Triple-A on Saturday. They are waiting to see how Stanton feels Sunday before committing to a move.
If he goes on the IL, outfielder Jasson Dominguez is the most likely recall from Scranton. The Yankees could also activate Anthony Volpe, who is expected to complete his rehab assignment this weekend after offseason left shoulder surgery. Rice would shift to DH with Goldschmidt getting regular time at first base.
The Yankees are 18-9 with an eight-game win streak. The injury picture is manageable for now. Sunday’s update will decide the next step.
What do you think? Who should replace Stanton on the Yankees’ roster if he lands on IL?
