New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton’s recovery seems to be moving along nicely as he hopes to begin on-field running.
New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton says he expects to begin running on the field either Wednesday or Thursday according to Lindsey Adler of The Athletic.
It was revealed that Stanton is suffering from a grade one calf strain in late February, and manager Aaron Boone said that the slugger would be out for some time. It has not been officially confirmed, but Stanton will likely not be ready in time for Opening Day.
Stanton’s health issues have been concerning for much of his short Yankees’ tenure, but his recovery this time around looks to be going well. He’s been running on a treadmill and hitting off a tee the past few days, and he’ll be taking another step in the right direction if he can run on the field with no difficulty.
Stanton has always been injury-prone since his days with the then-Florida/Miami Marlins. Although he played in 158 games during his debut season in pinstripes, he only played in 18 regular-season games in 2019.
Stanton wasn’t as great in his first year with the Bombers in 2018 as he had been in his 2017 MVP season, but he was still excellent. He slashed .266/.343/.509, had an OPS of .852, an OPS+ of 130 while hitting 38 home runs and driving in 100 runs. At this point, fans would do anything for Stanton to put up those numbers again.
Although the Yankees were able to win the AL East without many of their stars in 2019, Stanton’s availability in 2020 would help the team take the next step. After making an ALCS appearance this past season, the Yankees have their sights set on a World Series in 2020.
The team has already seen several of its players go down so an early Stanton return could help relieve the pressure that currently lies on many of his teammates.