Yes, the Yankees are running it back, much to the chagrin of many after they were outclassed by the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS.
But within the 24 players from that postseason roster who will be included on the Opening Day billing of 2026 is Giancarlo Stanton — and a healthy one, at that.
The 36-year-old slugger has as clean a bill of health as possible this spring after being plagued by bilateral tennis elbow that limited him to just 77 games. In that limited spell, though, he launched 24 home runs.
That is a full-season pace of 50 home runs.
Stick that in the middle of the Yankees’ lineup somewhere behind Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, and last season’s best offense in baseball looks that much more lethal.
For that to happen, Stanton and the Yankees’ medical staff have to meticulously manage those elbows, as he admitted Tuesday that the pain “isn’t going anywhere.”
“There’s always maintenance,” he said. “But it didn’t hinder me from any work, and that’s what’s most important. I feel good. I’m moving around well.”
Take off the overly optimistic lenses, and it’s all but certain that Stanton is not going to be an everyday player, even as a designated hitter. The Yankees themselves have maintained that expectation from last year, and it partly shows with the decision not to have him playing in early Grapefruit League games down in spring training.
“He’s evolved, how he trains, how he takes care of himself,” manager Aaron Boone said. “In a perfect way, he’s healthy the whole way. I’ll be proactive with giving him days [off], just to be able to keep him healthier long term.”
But the potential, even as his career mortality grows larger upon the horizon, is undeniable. Along with that 50-home-run pace last season, he batted .273 with a .944 OPS and 66 RBI.
If the Yankees ultimately want to reach the mountaintop and win a World Series — and end the 17-year championship drought — Stanton is going to have a role to play. His monstrous postseason two years ago won him ALCS MVP honors and helped lift the Bronx Bombers to their first American League pennant since 2009.
Despite the ceaseless injuries and often unfair criticism from an impatient fan base, Stanton has etched his place in Yankees lore as one of the franchise’s greatest postseason bats and, still, one of its most potent sluggers.
“The story is still being written,” Stanton said. “But the point of being a Yankee is being a champion. There’s always going to be a stain there without that.”
