New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton said his elbow injuries are “considered severe in both elbows,” casting considerable doubt on his 2025 season.
The veteran DH attributes the injury to “bat adjustments” he made last season and is unsure when he will be able to resume baseball activities. If surgery is needed, Stanton said it would be season-ending.
Last season, the New York Yankees had a rough June and July, going 25-26 during that two-month stretch. Stanton missed the end of June and most of July and without him in the lineup, the Yankees went 23-25.
The 35-year-old came alive in the playoffs when the Yankees needed him most. Aaron Judge was slumping, as per usual when it comes to October and Stanton was the guy that shined under the brightest of lights.
Stanton won the American League Championship Series (ALCS) MVP award, for mashing four home runs, seven RBI and five runs scored in five ALCS games against the Cleveland Guardians.
New York’s lineup with Stanton in the lineup averages 4.89 runs per game and 4.8 runs per game without him. Going into 2025, the Yankees lack some power compared to their 2024 lineup. Losing Juan Soto will do that, but out of the players they’ve acquired in the offseason, their power days are in the past.
Cody Bellinger hit just 18 home runs a year ago and he’s someone who hasn’t hit more than 30 since his MVP season in 2019 where he hit 47. Paul Goldschmidt hit 22 homers a year ago and he hasn’t hit 30+ since 2022 when he won the National League MVP with 35 home runs.
The Yankees’ lineup will need some other to step up in Stanton’s absence. Even if he doesn’t miss the entirety of 2025, he’s expected to miss a lot of time. Some players that could be candidates to be the team’s starting DH are Dominic Smith and Ben Rice.
During Spring Training, Smith is slashing .294/.294/.647. The left-hander would add some power numbers with the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium. From 2019-2021 with the New York Mets, Smith hit 32 home runs, with 10 of those coming in the shortened 60-game season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over that three-year span, Smith slashed .269/.332/.445 with an OPS of .767. The league-average OPS is .800, so he was below average, but still a solid option at DH. Since 2021, Smith has bounced around the league, unable to find a home and has been underwhelming.
Outside of Rice’s three-home run game against the Boston Red Sox last season when he was called up to play first base in Anthony Rizzo’s absence, he only showed flashes of being a solid MLB hitter, but nothing really materialized.
In 152 at-bats, Rice slashed just .171/.264/.349 with an OPS of .613. The 26-year-old is having a solid spring, slashing .250/.333/.438 with one home run in 16 at-bats.
Time will tell how much time Stanton will miss, but from the looks of it, he’ll be out an extended period of time. Whether the Yankees make a move to add to the roster or ride with what they got, is yet to be determined, but they’ll likely try to solve the problem within the organization.
