The Yankees continue to deal with a rash of injuries early in the season. Giancarlo Stanton is the latest player to head to the Injured List.
Any Yankees fans looking for good news after the team’s ugly 1-2 start against the Orioles should probably look elsewhere. The fact that Giancarlo Stanton is headed to the 10-day Injured List is only going to make life more difficult for manager Aaron Boone in the short-term.
The club announced via Twitter that Stanton is suffering from a left biceps strain. It’s unclear just how long Stanton will be out, but the fact that he’s going on IL means he’ll miss at least ten days of action. New York elected to bring Clint Frazier back to the Bronx to fill his spot on the active roster.
Stanton isn’t exactly off to a blistering start to the 2019 campaign, but he was doing an excellent job of getting on base for the Yankees. He goes to IL with a batting average of just .250, but his OBP of .600 was a big boost to the team’s offense. New York will clearly miss having the slugger in the heart of their order.
His absence will provide Frazier with a big opportunity to recover from his putrid Spring Training. He came into the spring with legitimate hopes of dislodging Brett Gardner for the starting left field spot. Unfortunately, his miserable time at the plate down on Florida made sending him to the minors an easy choice for GM Brian Cashman and company.
Frazier should be in a position to get immediate at bats in Stanton’s absence. Boone could elect to give Mike Tauchman a little more of additional playing time, but Frazier is a natural left fielder. That, combined with his offensive potential makes him a player the Yankees want to give every opportunity to succeed.
Stanton’s trip to the IL will also put added pressure on Aaron Hicks to get back into the lineup. He’s been on the shelf since Spring Training due to chronic back pain. The center fielder is set to resume baseball activities this week. The Yankees would love to get him back in the Bronx sooner, rather than later.
There’s never a good time for a player like Stanton to go out with an injury, but this is an exceptionally bad time for the Yankees. They need to turn around their ugly start quickly. Doing that without the former NL MVP will be an even greater challenge for Aaron Judge and company.