NEW YORK – Don’t expect to see Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton on the field anytime soon.
He was thisclose to recovering from a right calf strain that he injured back in April and reaggravated in June. However, he strained his left calf running the bases a couple of days ago and is likely out for the rest of the regular season.
The strain on the left calf is considered “moderate,” according to manager Aaron Boone. It will be interesting to see if Stanton will return in October if the Yankees are in the postseason.
“He was running the bases a couple of days ago. He had fallen and the other calf is strained. It’s a moderate grade,” Boone said. “What that means moving forward without ruling anything out, he will obviously work to try to get it right and hopefully be available. Obviously, we are at a point in the calendar where it gets challenging, but you also never know. I’m bummed for him. He is working his tail off every single day trying to get this thing right.”
Stanton played in 24 games this season and had a slash line of .256/.422/.724 with three home runs and 14 RBIs. In his absence, the team has used 13 different designated hitters with Ben Rice getting most of the playing time.
It’s tough news to lose Stanton, but he remains one of the leaders on the team. For example, he is always at the hitters’ meetings giving his sage advice.
“He is in the trenches with the guys as much as he can be,” Boone said about Stanton. “Myself, I admire him so much for who he is and the way he goes about things. The same rings true for everyone in that room. They look up to him. They respect him when he speaks. They listen. It means a lot to him. He has the utmost respect and admiration of everyone in that room, especially me.”
