The New York Yankees have struggled mightily since the All-Star break. They have not won a single series post break, and have lost almost all of the momentum that they had in the first half of the season.
The Yankees were looked at as heavy American League favorites, and a serious World Series contender before this latest slump. There is no single issue to blame for their struggles, but one major effect on the team’s misfortune is the absence of slugger and MLBbro Giancarlo Stanton.
Stanton has been out with a left Achilles injury since July 26. He has been steadily recovering
According to the NY Post, “Stanton faced Luis Severino in a live batting practice on Tuesday and went through the rest of his pregame routine.”
The expectation is he will be activated on Thursday to be designated hitter in the opener of a four-game series at Oakland. Stanton, who has been out since July 23 with left Achilles tendinitis, will first DH before working his way back into an outfield spot.
This could not have come at a better time as the Bronx Bombers just avoided a big injury to fellow teammate DJ LeMahieu.
Getting Stanton back can help to stabilize the lineup and get the Yankees back to full strength. Aaron Boone is hoping that having a player of his caliber return will invigorate the clubhouse and spark winning ways again.
Giancarlo Stanton was having a very successful season before being injured, already having secured another All-Star selection and the All-Star Game MVP award. Stanton was a threat to pitchers on a nightly basis.
The 32-year-old veteran is slashing .228/.309/.498 with 24 homers and 61 RBI in 80 games. The Yankees are 10-17 and batting .224 as a team since his latest stint on the IL. They have not been able to replace his production in the lineup and the offense has been putrid without him. The team also has the worst record in the Majors in the month of August so far.
Although his injury did assist in throwing off the Yankees season, his hopeful return can counteract this. If Stanton can return and pair with fellow MLBbro Aaron Judge and get the Yankees back on a winning track they can regain their momentum at the right time. The silver lining is, that since the Yankees held such a large division lead before his injury, going 51-29 in games he played, they are still firmly in first place in the American League East Division.
The Major League Baseball season is a marathon not a sprint, so if Stanton can come back and right the ship, the Yankees are poised to finish strong.
Giancarlo Stanton was having the redemption season of a lifetime. He was healthy, hitting the cover off the ball and finally beloved by Yankees fans.
The Yankees were hoping that Giancarlo Stanton would play in more than 150 games for the first time since he played in 158 during his first campaign with the Bronx Bombers in 2018. He hit 38 homers and drove in 100 runs that season, but only played in 41 games over the following two seasons due to injuries.
Stanton quickly became public enemy No.1 in New York as the fans looked for someone to blame for its playoff shortcomings. Aaron Judge also battled injuries during Stanton’s first few years as a Yankee, but he’s the home grown darling, so he rarely if ever felt the wrath of Yankees fans in the same venomous fashion that Stanton did.
Last season, we got a glimpse of how potent Judge and Stanton could be when consistently in the Yankees lineup, as Stanton was able to play 139 games. It was Judge who was limited to 100 games and unable to be there enough for them to wreak the kind of havoc they did this season, before Stanton went on his yearly IL stint.
Stanton has only played in 100 games once in the past four seasons, so when both players got off to blazing first-half stars, were starters in the All-Star Game and among league leaders in most valued offensive categories, it wasn’t a surprise that the Yankees were winning at an all-time rate.
Judge has continued his MVP Bro bombing, while Stanton is expected to resume baseball activities early this week for the first time since landing on the injured last with left Achilles tendinitis on July 26.
“I would say probably in the next couple days he’ll start, whether it’s throwing and probably doing some tee work and upper body, hitting and stuff like that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in the New York Post. “Just talking to him briefly (Saturday), he’s definitely encouraged by the last few days…he’s noticed improvement and I think (they) have moved the needle how we would have hoped. Hopefully that starters to pick up speed this week.,”
Despite missing some time, Stanton is still 8th in homers and 19th in RBI (61) in all of MLB. This injury doesn’t seem too serious, but it is something that could linger throughout the season.
Achilles injuries are serious so Stanton will have to show some caution when it comes to finally going full speed. Losing him for the playoff run would be a death wish for the Yankees who are talented, but still fragile in that the team can’t afford to lose Judge or Stanton for any significant amount of time and still hope to capture their first World Series title since 2009.
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