Double dooms Stanton to another stint on injured list
Had Giancarlo Stanton’s seventh-inning blast Saturday traveled a few feet further, the Yankees slugger may have been back in the lineup on Sunday.
Instead, Stanton was back in an all-toofamiliar place: an MRI tube with a ticket for the injured list.
The Yankees placed Stanton on the IL on Sunday with a left hamstring strain and recalled Oswald Peraza from Triple-A ahead of their series finale against the Twins.
The MRI exam — the results of which were not immediately available after the Yankees’ 2-0 win — was needed to determine the severity of the strain and how long Stanton might be out. But even before the testing, he “definitely” knew he needed an IL stint, according to manager Aaron Boone.
“There’s no good timing for it, obviously,” Boone said. “I know he’s really frustrated.”
Stanton sustained the injury while decelerating into second base on his double on Saturday afternoon, according to Boone, after which he exited the game for a pinch runner. The 403-foot blast looked like a home run off the bat but instead hit off the left-field wall, forcing Stanton to run and then pull up at second base.
Peraza, meanwhile, is likely up for only a brief stay. He is expected to return to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre once Josh Donaldson is activated from the IL — which could come as soon as Wednesday
— but with the Yankees limited in their 40man options, he was the choice to replace Stanton on the 26-man roster. It’s possible he could get a start at second base on Tuesday with Gleyber Torres taking a DH day.
This marks Stanton’s seventh IL stint since the start of 2019, with this being his fourth straight season in which he has sustained an early-season soft-tissue injury. He had ankle inflammation in May of 2022, a quad strain in May of 2021 and a hamstring strain in August of 2020 (when the COVID-shortened season started in July). He also battled Achilles tendinitis late last season that led to another IL stint.
“I don’t know,” Boone said when asked why Stanton has been susceptible to these kinds of injuries. “Obviously he’s got an awesome build and physique. He works very hard to try to avoid these things. But unfortunately it is something that’s happened with him. I guess if we knew the answer, we’d [change it]. So I don’t know.”
Through 13 games — including five starts in the outfield — Stanton was batting .269 with four home runs and a .854 OPS.
In Stanton’s place, Willie Calhoun served as the DH on Sunday. The Yankees could use a mix of players there while Stanton is out, including Calhoun, Torres, Donaldson and DJ LeMahieu.
“It’s opportunity for, frankly, people we have a lot of confidence in that we can mix and match,” Boone said. “We can get some other people back here in the next days, next couple weeks and we gotta make do.”