The New York Yankees were dealt what felt like a lethal blow, with Giancarlo Stanton suffering injuries to both of his elbows (somehow) in spring training. After letting Juan Soto walk in free agency, it was hard to know what they were going to get from their position players not named Aaron Judge, so losing a player of Stanton's caliber was sure to sting. Well, the Yankees have gotten more than anyone could've expected from their offense thus far, and the team's strong play could impact Stanton's role when he ultimately does come off the IL.
To be fully transparent, when Stanton does get activated is anyone's best guess, but if things go well for him, he could be back sometime before the end of May.
When Stanton returns, his role could be different than what he possibly could have envisioned entering spring training.
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Yankees don't have room for Giancarlo Stanton to play regularly
Even without Stanton, the Yankees have more bats than spots right now. They expected Judge, Jasson Dominguez, and Cody Bellinger to be their three outfielders on most nights this season, but Trent Grisham's emergence seemingly out of nowhere has forced them into starting him most nights. Sure, there's a DH spot, but they've been using one of Paul Goldschmidt or Ben Rice in those spots on most occasions, with the other one starting at first base.
Of those six players, four of them have played extremely well. The two who haven't been quite as dominant, Dominguez and Bellinger, both should be regulars. Dominguez is a former top prospect with absurd upside, and Bellinger is their best defensive outfielder who also has immense offensive upside when he's right. Of that group of six, one of them has to sit regularly, and that's without Stanton.
The Yankees would love to add Stanton's bat to their lineup, but how would that work? At this stage of his career, he's really only a DH. In order to fit him in, the Yankees would have to either bench one of Goldschmidt or Rice nightly, which wouldn't be great, or teach Rice a new position, which also wouldn't be great. Stanton probably could play in the outfield once in a while, but who is he going to replace there of their four outfielders?
The Yankees have needed a third baseman all year and could use a second baseman with Jazz Chisholm Jr. out, but none of the players involved in this logjam can play either position, and neither can Stanton.
The Yankees won't bench Stanton permanently, but the odds of him playing regularly, given the team's logjam, are slim to none. He'd have to outperform those involved in this logjam, which would be incredibly difficult to do. This is ultimately a good problem for the Yankees to have, but the same can't exactly be said for Stanton, who would presumably love to play as much as he can.