Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton finally playing like the MVP they traded for

Giancarlo Stanton is on fire and the New York Yankees need him to stay healthy.

This is the type of player the New York Yankees thought they were getting when they traded for Giancarlo Stanton.

After an injury-plagued 2019 season that limited the former National League MVP to only 18 games and three home runs, Stanton is off to a blistering start for the Yankees and could be in line to capture a second MVP if he keeps up this hot pace.

Stanton began the season with a towering home run off Nationals ace Max Scherzer and followed that up with a bomb that is currently orbiting the moon. This is the Stanton that terrorized opposing pitchers when he was with the Marlins and before injuries ravaged him in a lost season last year.

Giancarlo Stanton’s hot start is no fluke.

But that’s all in the past and now the Yankees and their fans are hoping what they’re seeing now will last. Stanton worked tirelessly to get healthy and regain the strength that made him one of the most feared hitters in baseball.

After working with Yankees trainer Eric Cressey to remake his body and recover from his myriad injuries, Stanton looks to be in prime shape for what promised to be a grueling season with limited days off in a 60-game regular-season schedule. Yankees manager Aaron Boone will need to make sure he keeps his slugger fresh and his bat quick to prevent this hot start from becoming a fluke.

Boone has already proven to be one of the smarter managers in baseball despite his limited experience in the role so don’t worry about him burning out his high-priced star.

Stanton will need to DH on some nights to keep his legs fresh and may need an occasional day off, but at the same time, if he continues mashing as he has in the first week, it’s going to be tough for Boone to take that bat out of the lineup.

However, for Yankees fans who were burned time and again last year with a glut of injuries, I would feel pretty confident that this Stanton is here to last.

And provided he does, he could be in line for an MVP and potentially a World Series MVP too.