There is no doubt that the middle of the New York Yankees' lineup is stronger with a healthy Giancarlo Stanton providing protection behind Aaron Judge. The question manager Aaron Boone needs to answer is just how much he can get out of Stanton once he makes his return to the Bronx in a few weeks.
Stanton's return to the lineup is not imminent, but he is making concrete steps towards getting back on the field. He will start taking live batting practice over the next few weeks. If that process goes well, Stanton should be in a position to start a rehabilitation assignment that will immediately precede his return to the majors.
It's difficult to evaluate just how much the Yankees' lineup has or has not missed arguably their second-most dangerous hitter. A healthy Stanton strikes fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers. On the other hand, the likes of Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Jasson Dominguez have done a credible job soaking up the at-bats vacated by Stanton.
Aaron Boone will have tough questions for Yankees lineup when Stanton returns
Boone is taking the right approach to Stanton's potential return. He is not going to stress over how he might shuffle his lineup until he's presented with a concrete decision to make. There is always a chance that Stanton suffers a setback in his bid to return to the majors. It's not as if he's been a picture of health over the course of the past few seasons.
There's also a chance that another hitter in the middle of the Yankees lineup needs time off due to injury before Stanton returns to the diamond. Boone is smart not to waste headspace on solving a potential lineup issue weeks before it might become a real-world scenario he must face.
None of that means that fans should not start to consider how Stanton's return to action might impact the team. If he's healthy, Stanton has the chance to raise the team's ceiling. One need only look at last year's playoff performance to see how fearsome he can be.
The biggest potential loser in this scenario is Ben Rice. He's served as the team's designated hitter in 32 of his 44 games this season. He does have the ability to play at first base or catcher but he's nothing more than an average fielder in either spot. The value he gives Boone is with his powerful left-handed swing.
Rice's 10 home runs has powered him to an impressive WAR of 1.1 on the current campaign. That falls well short of what Stanton can provide at his best. Rice is, however, the more reliable player of the pair. He's managed to stay on the field for long stretches in a way that Stanton simply cannot be trusted to do at this stage of his career.
Putting a relatively inexperienced hitter like Rice on the bench for long stretches of time could cause him to lose all of his rhythm at the plate. That would cost Boone a valuable left-handed hitter who can produce excellent results in the middle of his lineup. It's imperative that Boone find a way to continue to feed Rice regular at-bats if he wants him to continue to be a positive factor by the time October rolls around.
One potential route forward for Boone would be to establish Stanton and Rice as a quasi-platoon at the DH spot. Stanton can get all of the at-bats against southpaws while Rice would get a healthy chunk of appearances against righties.
Then Boone can sprinkle in some additional playing time for Rice at both catcher and first to make sure he stays sharp. That should be enough to get the 26-year-old hitter enough playing time to remain a viable option for the Yankees' postseason roster.
To put it bluntly, Boone must be smart enough to know that relying on Stanton is more of a hope than a plan. He's proven time and time again that his body is too susceptible to injury to be counted on for any meaningful stretch of time. Shuffling his entire lineup around to accommodate Stanton's return from injury just isn't an efficient use of time or resources for the Yankees.
Instead, the franchise should consider anything they get from Stanton down the stretch as a bonus. He could be a valuable X-factor to help them win the AL East. He's more style than substance, though. Boone must make sure he continues to invest playing time in more reliable options if he wants to achieve postseason success.