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Giancarlo Stanton Has “Severe” Injuries In Both Elbows

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Giancarlo Stanton offered an update this morning about the elbow injuries that have kept him from playing this spring. He told reporters, including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, that the problem is “considered severe” in each of his elbows. The Yankees DH remains uncertain as to when he will be able to return to baseball activities of any kind. While he does not yet know if double elbow surgery will be necessary, he said that if he goes under the knife, the surgeries will rule him out for the 2025 season. Thankfully, GM Brian Cashman recently described surgery as a “last resort” for Stanton (per Hoch).

The 35-year-old has received two rounds of PRP injections in both elbows, and he will go for a third round next week. While Stanton is currently with the rest of his Yankees teammates at camp, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Hoch) that the DH is unlikely to see any game action in spring training. Last weekend, the Yankees announced that Stanton would open the season on the IL. They did not provide a timetable for his return. Today’s update doesn’t necessarily push that already uncertain timeline back any further, but Stanton’s use of the word “severe” certainly isn’t promising, nor is the possibility that he could miss the entire 2025 campaign.

It is hard to know what to think about the fact that Stanton attributed his elbow problems to “bat adjustments” he made in 2024. On the one hand, it’s encouraging that he was able to identify the problem; hopefully, that means he knows how to avoid reaggravating the issue once he starts to swing a bat again. On the other hand, Stanton’s powerful swing is his signature skill. Even in his mid-thirties, he had the fastest swing speed in MLB last season, according to Statcast. It’s worth wondering if he can make the necessary bat adjustments to keep his elbows safe without weakening his swing.

While it has been years since Stanton was a true superstar, he was still a valuable contributor to New York’s pennant-winning squad in 2024. He crushed 27 home runs with 72 RBI and a 116 wRC+. His bat was particularly potent in the playoffs; he hit seven homers in 14 games, with a team-leading 16 RBI. The Yankees made some solid additions to the top half of their order this winter, trading for Cody Bellinger and signing free agent Paul Goldschmidt. Still, their offense does not project to be quite as potent without Juan Soto to bat in front of Aaron Judge. Losing Stanton for any period of time will only further weaken the lineup.

Boone said earlier this week that he likes the in-house candidates the team has to replace Stanton, “especially against right-handed pitching” (per Hoch). That could mean using Judge at DH more often and starting the lefty-batting Trent Grisham in the outfield. While Grisham’s bat is a far cry from Stanton’s, such an arrangement would improve the outfield defense and could help Judge stay healthy throughout the season. Another lefty-batting option to get some reps at DH is Ben Rice. Although he struggled in his rookie season (73 wRC+ in 178 PA), Rice mashed throughout the minors and could offer some power in Stanton’s stead. J.C. Escarra is another left-handed hitter on the 40-man roster. He’s nearing 30 and has yet to make his MLB debut, but he hit well last season in his first year in the Yankees organization. Dominic Smith, a veteran non-roster invitee in camp this spring, is another left-handed bat to keep in mind.

Meanwhile, the most likely option to join the mix against left-handed pitching, whether in the outfield or at DH, could be Everson Pereira. Like Rice, Pereira struggled in his brief debut last season but has always hit well – especially in the power department – in the minor leagues. In seven games this spring, Pereira is batting .375 with a 1.224 OPS. He has been limited to DH duty in spring training as he rehabs from UCL surgery, but he could eventually take some reps for Judge in the outfield as well.

Finally, one has to wonder if Cashman is thinking about making an offer to free agent J.D. Martinez. While the Yankees could not feasibly roster both Stanton and Martinez, season-ending surgery for the former could open the door for the latter. To that end, New York has reportedly had “some contact with” Martinez. In a recent MLBTR poll, a plurality of respondents voted the Yankees as the most likely landing spot for the 37-year-old DH.

Gerrit Cole Going For Imaging On Elbow

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March 8: According to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, the results of Cole’s initial diagnostic tests have been distributed, and the right-hander is now in the process of seeking a second opinion. While Cole told reporters (including Hoch) that he is “concerned” about his elbow, the 2023 AL Cy Young winner also expressed a bit of optimism. “I’ve still got some hope,” he said. Per Hoch, Cole and the Yankees expect to know more about the status of his elbow in the next few days.

March 7: Gerrit Cole is heading for “diagnostic tests” on his throwing elbow, reports Jon Morosi of the MLB Network. It’s not currently clear whether the Yankees fear a significant injury, or if the testing is more precautionary in nature. In either case, it’s certainly not encouraging news after Cole missed the first couple months of 2024 with elbow inflammation.

It was almost exactly one year ago today that Yankees skipper Aaron Boone revealed that Cole was headed for an MRI. The 2023 Cy Young winner was having difficulty recovering between throwing sessions. Testing didn’t reveal any structural damage, but an inflammation diagnosis necessitated a month-long shutdown. Cole began the season on the 60-day injured list; he didn’t make his season debut until June 19.

Cole stayed healthy for the remainder of the season, aside from one skipped start due to what the team termed general body soreness. He turned in a 3.41 earned run average across 17 starts. While he struggled over his first few outings, Cole was dominant from the beginning of August through the end of the regular season. He turned in a 2.25 ERA with a 26% strikeout rate while holding opponents to a .182/.255/.248 slash line over his final 10 appearances.

The 34-year-old righty took the ball another five times in the postseason. He worked to a 2.17 ERA across 29 playoff innings, but his strikeout rate in October plummeted to a meager 17.7% clip. After the season, he and the Yankees were faced with a decision on his contract. Cole decided to opt out of the remaining four years and $144MM on his nine-year deal. He hoped the Yanks would override that by preemptively triggering a $36MM club option for 2029. The team declined to do so but allowed him to rescind the opt-out and remain with the team on his original contract.

Cole has taken the ball twice during Spring Training. He looked sharp in his first appearance, working 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts on February 28. The Twins torched him for six runs on five hits (including a pair of homers) over 2 2/3 frames yesterday. That alone isn’t cause for concern — Spring Training results are largely immaterial — but Cole evidently hasn’t felt completely healthy. His fastball has averaged 95.5 MPH during his spring work, according to Brooks Baseball. That’s around where it sat last March, a bit below the 97 MPH velocity he’d shown in previous Spring Trainings.

The Yankees won’t have much to report until they receive the imaging results. Even if there’s no structural damage, it seems likely Cole will begin the season on the injured list. The Yanks already lost 2024 Rookie of the Year Luis Gil to a severe lat strain. GM Brian Cashman said on Thursday that the Yankees anticipate an absence of at least three months for the young right-hander (relayed by Greg Joyce of The New York Post). Depth starter JT Brubaker broke three ribs trying to dodge a comebacker early in camp.

New York signed Max Fried to an eight-year, $218MM free agent deal. He’ll probably get the ball on Opening Day. Clarke Schmidt and Carlos Rodón will follow in the rotation. Marcus Stroman, who entered camp sixth on the depth chart, now projects as the fourth starter. A season-opening IL stint could draw Will Warren or out-of-options righty Yoendrys Gómez into the rotation. New York has Carlos Carrasco and Allan Winans in camp as non-roster invitees.

If Cole winds up missing a decent chunk of time, the Yanks could look to a late free agent acquisition. Veteran innings eater Kyle Gibson remains unsigned; he’s throwing side sessions to stay loose in advance of his age-37 season. Swingman Spencer Turnbull has a spotty injury history but pitched well in 54 1/3 innings for the Phillies last year. Patrick Corbin and former Yankee Lance Lynn are also still free agents.

In a smaller injury development, the Yanks announced this morning that reliever Tyler Matzek sustained a mild right oblique strain (link via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). The veteran southpaw could resume throwing early next week, but the injury takes him out of consideration for the Opening Day roster. Matzek is in camp as a non-roster invitee. He has tossed one scoreless inning.

Soto: Mets Didn’t Offer The Most Money

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The Juan Soto free agency was one of the most anticipated in baseball history. It was expected to deliver historic results and did just that. He signed a massive 15-year, $765MM deal with the Mets. That’s the longest contract ever and the largest guarantee. The $51MM average annual value is also a record if one considers the deferrals in Shohei Ohtani’s deal with the Dodgers. Ohtani technically got $700MM over ten years for a $70MM AAV but the heavy deferrals bring the net present value down to the $45MM range annually.

Despite all those records, Soto claims he could have got more. Abriendo Sports released a teaser for a Spanish-language interview they did with Soto. The full conversation won’t be released until Sunday but reporter Mike Rodriguez provided an English translation of the teaser. Soto says that the field was narrowed to the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Blue Jays and Red Sox and that the Mets didn’t offer the most money, with multiple teams offering more.

No other details were provided but it’s potentially an interesting bit of information. The five finalists are not surprising, as they were the clubs most often connected to Soto throughout the winter and towards the end of his free agency. Soto’s claim that the offer from the Mets wasn’t actually the highest doesn’t align with previous reporting. At the time of the agreement with the Mets, it was reported by Jon Heyman of The New York Post that the Yankees topped out at $760MM over 16 years. Sean McAdam of MassLive reported that the Red Sox maxxed out at $700MM over 15.  Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported that the Blue Jays stopped short of $700MM. Patrick Mooney, Will Sammon, Brendan Kuty and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the Dodgers stopped at $600MM.

All those numbers are under what Soto got from the Mets, so it’s tough to figure which teams could have had a larger offer than $765MM. Andy Martino of SNY reports today that Boston was one of multiple clubs willing to go higher than the top offer if they thought Soto would accept, but he went to the Mets because of the “family-friendly vibe” established by Alex Cohen, wife of Mets owner Steve Cohen. Perhaps the Red Sox had topped out at $700MM in terms of an official offer but had made some sort of verbal indication to Soto and agent Scott Boras that they were willing to keep pushing.

Speculatively speaking, it’s also possible that there was some creative accounting going on. The Dodgers are famous/infamous for their heavy use of deferred money in the contracts they sign with players. Ohtani’s contract is the most extreme example. As mentioned, it came with an advertised sticker price of $700MM but actually had a net present value that the league calculated at just over $460MM while the MLBPA calculated it around $438MM. While the Dodgers reportedly stopped their offer at $600MM, perhaps that was a post-deferral number, while the offer might have had a shinier pre-deferral number.

Or perhaps there was some mystery team willing to throw out wild numbers that Soto never took especially seriously. 11 clubs reportedly reached out to him at the start of free agency. Soto was connected to clubs like the Giants, Phillies, Rays, Royals and even his original Nationals club at various points through the offseason. None of them seemed to get especially close. The Rays reportedly offered Soto some kind of high-AAV deal on a short-term, so it’s also possible that’s what Soto is referring to. Maybe the Rays offered a higher AAV than the Mets but with far fewer years.

Ultimately, it’s all a moot point. Soto has signed with the Mets and that can’t be changed now. Still, it does make for fun hypothetical speculation. Teams generally went nuts for Soto because of his incredible track record at such a young age. Many top prospects don’t debut until their mid-20s but Soto already had 936 big league games under his belt by the end of his age-25 season. And he had hit .285/.421/.532 for a 158 wRC+ in those. To get that player with so many prime years remaining was a very rare alignment that led to an unprecedented bidding war and perhaps we don’t know how high it actually could have gone.

DJ LeMahieu Diagnosed With Calf Strain

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Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu recently underwent an MRI after tweaking a calf muscle during his spring debut and has been diagnosed with a strain, LeMahieu himself told the Yankees beat this morning (via Greg Joyce of the New York Post). It’s a Grade 1 or 2 strain, and while there’s no official timetable yet, LeMahieu will go at least a “couple” weeks without any baseball activity at all. That seems likely to rule him out for Opening Day, though the team hasn’t yet formally announced as much. He’s meeting with the team’s medical staff this morning to map out a timetable.

It’s another health setback for the 36-year-old LeMahieu, who appeared in just 67 games last season due to foot and hip injuries. He wasn’t productive when on the field either, batting just .204/.269/.259 with a pair of homers in 228 trips to the plate. LeMahieu posted career-low marks in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate, and his 56.4% ground-ball rate was the second-highest mark of his career and sixth-highest in MLB (min. 220 plate appearances). For a player whose sprint speed checked into the 20th percentile of big league position players, that’s obviously not a good trend.

The Yankees originally signed LeMahieu to a two-year, $24MM deal in the 2018-19 offseason. It proved to be one of their best free agent pickups in recent memory, as he posted a mammoth .336/.386/.536 over those two years, finishing top-four in MVP voting in both 2019 and 2020. The Yankees re-signed LeMahieu for $90MM the following winter. That’s about the sum he was expected to land over a four-year pact, but the Yankees stretched it out over six seasons to lighten the luxury tax hit. He’s never recaptured that peak 2019-20 form, but LeMahieu was a solid and versatile contributor from 2021-23, hitting .258/.345/.375 with quality glovework at first base, second base and third base.

Despite the poor showing in 2024, LeMahieu entered camp squarely in the mix for regular reps at third base. The Yankees’ budget is seemingly at its limit. They’ve passed on adding an infielder at either second base or third base (Jazz Chisholm Jr. can play either spot) and appear committed to going with in-house options. LeMahieu, former top prospect Oswald Peraza and utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera have been vying for playing time at the hot corner.

LeMahieu’s remaining two years and $30MM were always going to put him on the roster with some type of role, but his injury opens the door for a younger option at third base — be it Peraza, Cabrera or perhaps Jorbit Vivas. Vivas didn’t make his spring debut until this week. He’d been dealing with some shoulder soreness, but he’ll likely join the third base competition now. He’s already on the 40-man roster.

MLBTR Podcast: Jose Quintana, Luis Gil’s Injury, The Nats’ TV Situation, Salary Floor Talk, And More!

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • With MASN now solved and stadium naming rights and jersey patches on the way do you see the Nationals making the leap into big spenders sooner than later? (12:30)
  • Do you see the MLBPA pushing for a salary floor? (22:05)
  • Will the White Sox trade Luis Robert Jr. before the start of the regular season? (25:20)
  • While neither is particularly likely, is it more probable that the Pirates extend Paul Skenes or the Reds extend Elly De La Cruz? (27:40)
  • What is your opinion of the White Sox upper management and will they lose 100 games this year? (30:45)
  • The Mets are loaded with infield prospects. Do they trade Jeff McNeil to make room? (37:30)
  • With the Tigers’ outfield injuries, do they go get a right-handed bat? And who is available? (42:00)
  • With the Mariners bringing back most of their position players, what are the chances they get better production from them in 2025? (44:30)
  • Does David Bote have a legitimate shot to make the Dodgers’ roster? (50:35)
  • Why doesn’t MLB expand to 36 teams instead of just 32? (51:35)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Giants Notes: Eldridge, Luciano, Villar, Rogers, Stroman

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The Giants announced a wave of cuts from camp this morning, with top prospect Bryce Eldridge and former top prospect Marco Luciano among the most notable names sent out to minor league camp. (Luciano is on the 40-man roster and was thus optioned, technically speaking; Eldridge was reassigned to minor league camp.) Right-hander Mason Black was also optioned to minor league camp.

Though some fans might’ve hoped the 20-year-old Eldridge would break camp this year, that was always an extreme long shot. The 2023 first-rounder has all of 17 games above A-ball under his belt: nine in Double-A (where he hit quite well) and eight in Triple-A (where he struggled in a small sample). Eldridge’s overall .289/.372/.513 slash across four minor league levels helped propel him to the No. 12 spot on Baseball America’s top-100 list and did nothing to dispel the notion that he’s San Francisco’s first baseman of the future. For now, however, he’ll open the season in the upper minors while veterans LaMonte Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores platoon at first base.

Luciano’s path to the roster was similarly unlikely. The former shortstop is still learning the ropes in his new corner-outfield environs, and San Francisco’s outfield mix has little room to break in. Heliot Ramos will be in left field after a breakout 2024 season. Jung Hoo Lee will be back in center now that he’s recovered from last year’s shoulder surgery. Mike Yastrzemski is in right field for what will be his seventh straight season. With Luciano still adjusting to the outfield, it benefits him to be in a setting where he can play every day and further familiarize himself with the new position.

The starters for the Giants are largely set. Patrick Bailey is the primary catcher. Wade and Flores will split at first base. Tyler Fitzgerald moves from shortstop to second base in deference to free agent signee Willy Adames. Matt Chapman inked a six-year extension late last season. Ramos, Lee and Yastrzemski round out the outfield. There’s more competition for the bench spots, but one player who’s all but squeezed out barring injuries further up the depth chart is infielder David Villar.

Villar impressed with a .231/.331/.455 showing and nine homers in 181 plate appearances as a 25-year-old rookie back in 2022. He’s since hit .170/.243/.346 in the majors while turning in only slightly above-average offense in a hitter-friendly Triple-A setting. Villar is out of minor league options and has less defensive versatility than fellow infielders Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisely. Both Schmitt and Wisely have one minor league option remaining, and both can play shortstop. Villar has never played a professional inning at short.

As soon as Chapman and Adames were locked in on the left side of the infield, Villar looked to be an odd man out. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area wrote yesterday that for the former 11th-rounder, spring training this year is more about showcasing himself to 29 other clubs than earning a spot on the Giants’ roster.

Speculatively speaking, the front offices in Milwaukee and in the Bronx have been eyeing cost-effective third base options. Former Giants GM Scott Harris is now president of baseball operations in Detroit and has been looking for right-handed bats. His club just missed on Alex Bregman and lost one third base candidate (Matt Vierling) to a shoulder strain. Another, Jace Jung, has only 94 big league plate appearances and is out to a slow start this spring.

Villar is 28, out of minor league options and has a .200/.288/.400 slash in 358 big league plate appearances. There’s a chance he’d simply clear waivers and stick with the Giants as non-roster depth. But he’s a .268/.377/.511 hitter in three Triple-A seasons and can play both infield corners — in addition to more limited experience at second base. A club with a less-solidified infield mix could be interested in a small trade or waiver claim. It’ll be worth keeping an eye on how he performs for the remainder of the spring.

Shifting a bit away from the focus on what’s currently taking place in camp, Joel Sherman of the New York Post provides some context on earlier offseason trade talks between the Giants and Yankees. Per Sherman, the Yankees approached the Giants about a potential deal that would’ve sent righty Marcus Stroman to San Francisco in exchange for lefty Taylor Rogers. The Giants weren’t interested in that framework, it seems, preferring to move forward with a rotation including Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Justin Verlander, Jordan Hicks and one of Kyle Harrison, Hayden Birdsong or Landen Roupp. (Harrison seems like the strong favorite.)

The Giants eventually traded Rogers and $6MM to the Reds, ducking out from half the money they still owed to the veteran lefty and adding minor league righty Braxton Roxby to their system in the process. The Yankees spent much of the offseason trying to move Stroman but now might be glad to have hung onto him; Luis Gil is dealing with a shoulder injury that’s thrust Stroman back into the rotation outlook in the Bronx.

Luis Gil To Be Shut Down For At Least Six Weeks Due To Lat Strain

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Yankees manager Aaron Boone informed reporters, including Greg Joyce of The New York Post, that right-hander Luis Gil has a high-grade lat strain. Gil will be shut down from throwing for at least six weeks. Even if he is declared healthy at that point, he would effectively have to restart his spring ramp-up period, so he’s likely out until late May or early June even in a best-case scenario.

It was reported last week that Gil had experienced some shoulder tightness during a bullpen session and would be going for an MRI. It seems that a significant strain was detected which will impact the start of his 2025 season. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com relayed over a minute of Boone’s comments, during which the skipper said there are still some further examinations to be done which could reveal more info but that the six-week no-throw is confirmed.

It’s obviously a frustrating development for both Gil and the Yankees. The young pitcher just won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2024. He tossed 151 2/3 innings over 29 starts, allowing 3.50 earned runs per nine. His 12.1% walk rate was on the high side but his 26.8% strikeout rate was quite strong.

That excellent season came on the heels of a lengthy injury absence. Gil had a brief major league debut in 2021 before Tommy John surgery wiped out most of his 2022 and 2023 seasons. He returned and posted his aforementioned excellent results last year but now his health is now going to be at the forefront again.

The Yankees will now have to adjust their rotation plans, though the good news is that the solution should be pretty simple. The Yanks made a massive $218MM investment in Max Fried this offseason, which seemed to give them a rotation surplus. The club had an on-paper group of Fried, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt and Gil. That seemingly left Marcus Stroman on the outside looking in and the club reportedly tried to find ways to trade Stroman and the remainder of his contract.

No deal came together, so Stroman reported to camp and has been getting stretched out as a starter. With Gil now set to be on the shelf for a significant time, Stroman should be able to step into a rotation spot without issue.

Perhaps the rotation will again be crowded a few months from now if Gil is able to get healthy, though it’s also possible that other injuries will change the situation between now and then. Though the Yanks are still slated to go into the season with a strong front five, the depth has been thinned out a bit this spring. In addition to losing Gil, prospect Chase Hampton required Tommy John surgery. JT Brubaker, who projected to be a long reliever in the bullpen, suffered three fractured ribs trying to evade a comebacker and has an uncertain timeline.

Behind the rotation of Cole, Fried, Rodón, Schmidt and Stroman, perhaps the out-of-options Yoendrys Gómez can make the Opening Day Roster in the long relief role. Will Warren and Brent Headrick are on the roster and have options, perhaps meaning they will be in the Triple-A rotation. Carlos Carrasco is in camp as some veteran non-roster depth.

Yankees Notes: LeMahieu, Outfield, Judge

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It’s been a tough few days on the injury front for Yankees fans. After the club announced yesterday that right-hander Luis Gil is set to undergo an MRI due to shoulder troubles and not long after it was made public that slugger Giancarlo Stanton will begin the season on the injured list due to soreness in both elbows, another potentially key player for the club went down with a potential injury: veteran infielder DJ LeMahieu.

As noted by MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, manager Aaron Boone told reporters this afternoon that LeMahieu “tweaked” a calf muscle during his second at-bat during today’s game, which was LeMahieu’s spring debut. LeMahieu is receiving treatment for the issue, but Boone called the situation “at least a little concerning” given the veteran’s recent injury history. LeMahieu was limited to just 67 games due to a number of injuries last year, including a hip impingement that ultimately ended his season.

It’s a particularly troubling development seeing as LeMahieu was a likely candidate to be the club’s starting third baseman on Opening Day. A recent MLBTR Poll suggested that 27.5% of respondents expected LeMahieu to receive the lion’s share of playing time at third base this year. That was enough to beat out both Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza as the top internal candidate for the job, though a 34% plurality of respondents suggested that the Yankees’ primary solution at the hot corner was likely to be someone not yet in the organization.

Perhaps today’s injury will make that more likely if LeMahieu winds up unable to get back in time for the beginning of the season later this month, though the pickings remain quite slim on the market with part-time veteran Jose Iglesias standing out as the best infield option still available. If the Yankees can’t find an external solution for the hot corner before Opening Day, it seems likely that Cabrera and Peraza will handle the position in a timeshare until LeMahieu is ready to return, though it’s possible a player such as Jorbit Vivas or Pablo Reyes could make a push for the job as well.

Aside from the news regarding LeMahieu, Hoch suggests that the injury to Stanton could lead to a realigned outfield with Trent Grisham joining the lineup in center field, with Cody Bellinger sliding from center to right field and Aaron Judge moving to DH. Such an arrangement would improve the club’s defense overall by adding a plus glove in center field while also avoiding injury risks for Judge, the reigning AL MVP who stands out as the club’s most important player entering the year. Hoch adds that Boone noted that giving Judge occasional partial days off at DH could be valuable early in the season, though Boone was quick to emphasize that he also values Judge’s ability to contribute on defense in right field. On days where Grisham isn’t joining the lineup in center field and pushing a regular to DH, the club’s internal options to fill in for Stanton include youngster Ben Rice and non-roster invitee Dominic Smith.

Sticking with Judge, the MVP spoke to reporters (including Hoch) this afternoon about his desire to get more at-bats under his belt during Spring Training this year. Today was Judge’s first appearance in a Spring Training game of the year, and notably he received just 24 official at-bats in the spring last season. Judge suggested that additional reps before the season begins could help him to prevent a slow start like the one he had last year, where he batted just .197/.331/.393 in his first 149 trips to the plate before turning his season around in early May and hitting a sensational .357/.492/.787 the rest of the way. Obviously, that type of otherworldly production over the majority of the season would be more than enough to make up for another early-season slump, but Judge’s goal of getting something closer to 40 or 50 plate appearances in this spring is an understandable one given his struggles early last year.

Giancarlo Stanton To Begin Season On Injured List

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The Yankees officially announced that Giancarlo Stanton won’t be available for the start of the season, as the slugger will be placed on the injured list due to his recurring elbow issues.  Stanton received PRP injections in both elbows, and is expected to return to the team’s spring camp later this week after dealing with an unspecified personal matter in New York.

The announcement doesn’t come as any surprise, as Stanton hasn’t swung a bat in five or six weeks due to continued soreness in his elbows.  Two weeks ago, Stanton and manager Aaron Boone described the problem as similar to tennis elbow, with Stanton noting that some tendon damage had taken place.  While surgery wasn’t being considered, surgery would naturally become an option (or inevitable) in the event of an actual tendon tear, which is why Stanton said he and the team were being cautious in their approach to the injuries.

No timetable was announced for Stanton’s recovery, but probably the end of April would represent a best-case scenario for the five-time All-Star to make his 2025 debut.  Some time will be needed to evaluate Stanton’s elbows in the aftermath of the PRP treatment, and if all is well, he’d then need to start his usual ramp-up proceedings after missing so much of both Spring Training and even his pre-camp offseason work.  Given Stanton’s long history of leg-related injuries, he’ll need some prep time beyond just hitting work, even if he is going to be a DH-only player this season.

Injuries have long hampered Stanton’s career, and kept from fully delivering on the whopping 13-year, $325MM contract he signed with the Marlins back in November 2014.  There is still $96MM owed to Stanton in the final three guaranteed years of that deal, counting the $10MM, though the Yankees are only responsible for covering $66MM of that figure as per the terms of the trade that brought Stanton from Miami to New York in December 2017.

Stanton has been pretty productive (.241/.323/.483 with 162 home runs in 2776 plate appearances) during his time in the pinstripes, and has still looked like one of baseball’s most dangerous hitters from time to time.  However, those red-hot streaks have been countered by both extended slumps, and several times when Stanton has simply been unable to play due to injury.

The 2024 season saw Stanton miss about five weeks due to a hamstring strain, though he bounced back reasonably well from a down year in 2023.  Stanton hit .233/.298/.475 with 27 home runs in 459 PA last season, which translated to a 116 wRC+ even if low average and on-base numbers continue to be a concern.  The slugger then elevated his game in October, hitting .273/.339/.709 with seven homers over 62 PA during New York’s playoff run, and he captured ALCS MVP honors for his huge performance in the Yankees’ five-game elimination of the Guardians.

Following up that great postseason with yet another significant injury is undoubtedly a huge frustration for Stanton as he enters his 16th Major League campaign (and his age-35 season).  The fact that these elbow problems are an entirely new injury for Stanton could be viewed in one of two ways — either as a positive that he isn’t again dealing with leg problems, or as a negative that Stanton is now dealing with elbow issues on top of the ever-present concern over his lower body.

With Stanton out, the Yankees might just opt to fill the designated hitter spot with a rotation of players, in order to spread around at-bats and partial rest days for other veterans like Aaron Judge, Paul Goldschmidt, or DJ LeMahieu.  In terms of overall roster construction, Ben Rice now looks to have a better chance of making the Opening Day roster, and picking up some DH at-bats himself.

An external addition also can’t be ruled out, if Stanton is facing an extended amount of time on the IL.  Reports have already indicated the Yankees have been in touch with J.D. Martinez, perhaps laying some groundwork for a future contract in case Stanton isn’t making much progress in a couple of weeks’ time.  Adding a prominent veteran like Martinez, however, would also threaten to push the Yankees’ even further over the top luxury tax tire — RosterResource projects New York’s tax number at roughly $305.1MM, and beyond the upper penalty threshold of $301MM.

Yankees Have Had “Some Contact With” J.D. Martinez

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J.D. Martinez is still looking for a new contract as March begins, as the 37-year-old is coming off a decent but unspectacular season with the Mets.  There hadn’t been any public buzz about teams connected to Martinez, yet Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that the Yankees have “some contact with” Martinez’s camp, likely in connection to the ongoing uncertainty over Giancarlo Stanton’s status.

There isn’t any indication that the Yankees’ interest is anything more than due diligence at this point, though reaching out to establish some rapport with Martinez could be viewed as a first step in case Stanton ends up missing significant time.  As Heyman notes, it doesn’t seem likely that Martinez would be signed just “as a stopgap player” if Stanton ultimately isn’t out of action for much beyond Opening Day.  Martinez has limited roster utility as a virtual DH-only player at this point in his career, and the Yankees could always opt to rotate players through the DH spot if Stanton has only a limited absence.

Stanton has been battling discomfort in both of his elbows, and it has now been five or six weeks since the veteran slugger has even swung a bat.  Stanton isn’t in camp at all right now, as Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Heyman and MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch) that Stanton is in New York due to reasons unrelated to his elbow injuries, and it isn’t known when Stanton might be back in Tampa to take part in Spring Training.

Based on the amount of time Stanton has already lost, it seems quite likely he’ll start the season on the injured list, if for no other reason than to give him extra time to fully get healthy and pick up some at-bats during extended Spring Training.  Though hitting is the primary focus since Stanton is also a DH-only player, some overall physical maintenance is necessary given Stanton’s long history of lower-body injuries.  These elbow problems are a new issue for Stanton, adding another unwelcome entry to his checkered injury history.

With all of this in mind, there might be an opening for Martinez in the Bronx, who could basically slide directly into Stanton’s role as the primary designated hitter.  The right-handed hitting Martinez struggled against same-sided pitching in 2024, which could open the door for New York to use a left-handed bat or switch-hitter to spell Martinez against righty pitching.

Martinez hit .235/.320/.406 with 16 home runs over 495 plate appearances for the Mets last season, translating to a 108 wRC+.  A .351 xwOBA that was far above his .318 wOBA indicates that Martinez may have been somewhat unlucky at the plate, as Martinez still made a lot of hard contact and his walk rate was well above the league average.  His 28.5% strikeout rate was quite poor, though strikeouts have long been an issue for Martinez for much of his career.  As noted, Martinez’s chief issue in 2024 was a lack of production against right-handed pitching — he had only a .683 OPS against righties, in comparison to an .836 OPS against southpaws.

It is fair to wonder if Martinez’s late start contributed to these numbers, as he didn’t sign with the Mets until March 23, and he didn’t make his season debut until April 26.  By this standard, Martinez is at least ahead of last year’s schedule in terms of finding his next contract, though missing over two weeks of spring camp has already made for another adjustment to his usual offseason calendar.  In regards to a possible deal with the Yankees, the club is likely to want to gather as much information as possible on Stanton before deciding on a next course of action, so it may yet be a while before the Yankees make a pursuit of Martinez or anyone at all if they opt for external help.

Martinez made a $12MM salary with the Mets last year, in the form of $4.5MM in actual salary and the rest in deferred payments.  The dropoff from his 2023 numbers will mean that Martinez will surely have to settle for less than $12MM wherever he signs, and the Yankees’ luxury tax situation is another possible obstacle to a deal, even if Martinez was available at a relatively inexpensive price.  RosterResource projects New York’s tax number at roughly $305.1MM, already over the highest penalty tier of $301MM, and thus meaning the team will be taxed at a 110 percent rate on every dollar spent beyond $301MM.

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