For the third season in a row, the New York Yankees are plagued with injuries to their starters and pitching staff. And, once again, Giancarlo Stanton counts among the growing number of players on the injury list after the Yankees shut him down with a quadriceps strain.
Stanton indicated he felt tightness in his quad last Thursday in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees scratched Stanton shortly before game time on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles. Stanton missed the entire three-game series with the quad injury. On Monday, the Yankees put Stanton on the 10-day IL, retroactive from Friday.
The Yankees really hope it’s a short trip and the rest helps Stanton before he returns in time for next week’s series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Before the injury, Stanton appeared in 33 games for the Yankees as the designated hitter. He smacked nine home runs and drove in a team-leading 24 RBI with a slashline of .282/.347/.534.
Stanton joins other players on the IL including Gleyber Torres (COVID-19), Aaron Hicks (wrist), Rougned Odor (knee), Darren O’Day (shoulder), Zack Britton (elbow), and Luis Severino (elbow). Meanwhile, nine members of the Yankees coaching staff and traveling party are in quarantine after they tested positive for COVID-19 at the start of the Tampa Bay series last week.
Bad luck Stanton
Stanton, 31, appeared in 158 games with the Yankees during his first season with the Bronx Bombers, missing only four games. He struggled at the plate during his first year in the American League after spending his first eight seasons in the big leagues in the National League with the Miami Marlins.
In 2018, Stanton set a career-high with 211 strikeouts. He only hit .266 with 38 home runs and 100 RBI in his first season in pinstripes. The Miami Marlins initially signed Stanton to a 13-year deal worth $325 million then traded him to the Yankees. With a $25 million salary in his first season in the Bronx, the brass expected Stanton to hit at least 50 home runs and compete for the home run title. In 2017 with the Marlins, Stanton led the league with 59 home runs and 132 RBI. He slashed at .281/.376/.631 and had a whopping 7.6 WAR.
| Giancarlo Stanton Injury History |
| Season | Games Played |
Games Missed |
HRs | RBI |
| 2018 | 158 | 4 | 39 | 100 |
| 2019 | 18 | 144 | 4 | 13 |
| 2020 | 23 | 37 | 3 | 11 |
| 2021 | 33 | 7 | 9 | 24 |
Injuries ruined Stanton’s 2019 and 2020 seasons. He appeared in just 41 games over the previous two seasons and hit only seven home runs. Stanton missed 144 games in 2019 with a biceps and knee injury. Last season, Stanton suffered a hamstring injury, missing 37 games during the pandemic-shortened 60-game season.
Stanton down, who will DH for the Yankees?
The Yankees called up pitcher Albert Abreu from AAA Scranton/Wiles-Barre to fill the open roster spot. The Yankees signed journeyman outfielder Ryan LaMarre over the weekend to fill in for Hicks.
But who will fill in as the designated hitter? The Yankees attempted to move Miguel Andujar to the outfield after he struggled at third base over the past few seasons. They love his bat, but he can’t field a lick. Aaron Boone will most likely tap Andujar to fill in at DH.
Over the weekend, third baseman Gio Urshela nursed a sore knee. Boone inserted Urshela into the lineup as the DH, while Tyler Wade took over at third base. The Yankees could also use starting first baseman Luke Voit at DH. Voit recently returned from minor knee surgery, but he’s yet to shake off the rust and get comfortable at the plate. Plus, backup first baseman Mike Ford can’t hit to save his life, averaging an anemic .091.
At least the Yankees have a healthy Aaron Judge. Judge crushed four home runs in three games over the weekend to take over the MLB lead in home runs with 12. He leads the Yankees with a .298 batting average and is tied with Stanton for the most RBI with 24. Boone could insert Judge into the lineup at DH and roll the dice with an outfield consisting of Brett Gardner, Clint Frazier, and Andujar.
Check out a full rundown of New York Yankees injuries with our ongoing series titled Bronx ER.