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.
Why wasn’t this addressed after the World Series? BS
With Stanton’s salary going down after 2025 and the Marlins kicking in money, it’s time for NYY to send the big guy off into the sunset.
Definitely sounds like retirement.
He hurt his elbows carrying the offense in the 2024 postseason basically
Years of weightlifting likely had as much if not more of involvement. Bilateral means both elbows. Adjusting his swing probably didn’t help but wouldn’t it be mostly one or the other?
He might be a weight lifting geek. Goofing up those henge pins.
Yeah, there’s weightlifting for occupational strength and then there’s powerlifting trying to get to the Arnold Invitational, my guess is he’s more tuned to the latter. Too many clean-and-jerks and benching 400+ catches up with any human body.
Dewey problems from weight lifting for sure but he has a violent arms only swing. What ever adjustments he made didn’t address that.
Joe, but both elbows sounds to me chronic and degenerative to me. While I’m not in the medical profession, I read professionally enough medical records to understand the signs
Key points about dual elbow problems:
Genetics:
Most commonly, joint hypermobility is inherited, meaning a predisposition to loose ligaments and increased joint flexibility is passed down through families.
Collagen variations:
The structure of collagen, a protein that supports joints, can differ in people with hypermobility, leading to looser joints.
Repetitive stress:
Activities involving repetitive arm movements, like playing tennis or using a computer mouse excessively, can also lead to pain in both elbows, even in people without inherent joint hypermobility.
Arthritis:
Conditions like rheumatoid arthritis can affect multiple joints in the body, including both elbows, causing pain and inflammation.
Agreed. bodybuilding and serious lifting just does not mix with baseball. Speaking from experience. And I’m just a casual baseball/softball player. I’ve had so many injuries to my elbows, shoulders, lower back, and hamstrings. It actually hurts to play and the combo of the two makes it hard to workout. So I can’t imagine what it does to a pro athlete who has to train and play for his profession.
lifting weights is the most obvious reason to look at here. Other factors of course could also contribute. I’m just remembering my curling and lifting on my younger days.
What a bummer. I was hoping he would mash this year. If the Yankees had a chance in the WS they needed him. I wonder what the issue is., tennis elbow in both arm?
dewey – You are 100% correct, and I’ve mentioned this before about both Stanton and O’Neill’s unusual injuries. There are a few lifting exercises that are especially taxing on the elbows, I’ve experienced it myself.
Quite often these big muscle players become addicted to pushing the envelope by increasing the weight they lift. And because soreness is usually normal after workouts, they don’t even realize the difference between good pain and bad pain.
It’s a shame, but what can you do? Telling heavy lifters to stop pushing themselves in the gym is like telling power pitchers to stop throwing upper 90’s-lower 100’s so much. They simply can’t, they are addicted.
dewey – Curling? I didn’t know you were Canadian, eh.
Fever, my lifting today is typically limited to getting out of bed ..
That is amongst the most boring sport to watch Fever but ever since I lost my heart and injured my back, I have no other curling option. It’s not just for Canadians…
This might be the best comment in 2025. I say this because I was going to write something similar.
Captain – I wouldn’t mind retiring if I had Lexy waiting for me!!
I thought that from the time he went back to NY. Just waiting for the announcement any day now.
“Why wasn’t this addressed”..You do realize sports teams work and consult with many renowned and world leading doctors, surgeons and orthopedics specialists?
But the one thing these doctors lack that you clearly have, is a crystal ball that foretells the future. That must really come in handy in your field.
It’s a fair question when this bother him all year long. I bet he lifted plenty of weights over the winter. The guy has always be more interested in looking like a body builder than staying on the field looking like a baseball player
Yeah, where are the team doctors/trainers who say “No sir, don’t lift weights in that manner.” Or “here is the proper way to lift weights if you want to maximize career longevity.” You would think with all the millions invested in the player there would be stipulations and expectations laid out about the proper way to take care of one’s body. It’s all rather astonishing.
We don’t really know the nature of the injuries, never mind the cause. And we are totally ignorant as to what advice the coaching and doctors gave him. The man gets torched for weight training, but nobody knows how much he actually trains. People want to correlate size and strength to training too much or too little, but the fact is that you can take a hundred, a thousand people put them on the same program and some will make poor strength gains, some modest gains, a few will look like Hercules. Then a percentage of those people will be chronically sick or injured. I know of what I write because I have trained nearly fifty years, done extensive research, and also road racing on my bike. But for those of you too young to know, or have forgotten take the case of Don Mattingly. Don Mattingly was on a first ballet HOF career when he started having back problems. He lost the power in the bat and was eventually forced to retire prematurely. He, like many great hitters (not to mention even more mediocre hitters) was a self admitted “cage rat”, i.e. he practiced hitting to an extreme. He believes that all of that torque blew his disks out (I have to believe that swinging a bat doesn’t help ANYONE’S BACK). Was he vilified for working too hard? Come on, need I answer that? Stanton like any athlete who gives a damn about his career continued to train in the fashion that he believed contributed to his success. Strangely enough he gets torched for training too much. The mentality of sports fans continues to amaze and mystify me.
@ignorant
and you assume conversations regarding his training haven’t been had or that they can control what he does in his free time?
@Yankee Doubter
Well said, sir. It’s shameful how little critical thinking is in this comment section. So much dumb.
I would have to say that if Stanton has the fastest whipping speed/swinging speed in all of baseball, it’s amazing he has lasted this long maintaining it. It has to be hard on the limbs and arms and whether he maintains it by doing reps in the cage or strength training it’s understandable that it got to this point. It’s an elite swing and I am going to miss seeing those majestic bombs. There’s no Yankee hate here, I was just frustrated that perhaps he wasn’t given the correct advice on maintaining his health.
…..and we aren’t sure at what age ‘roids came into the picture or when they left the picture or were they even in the picture.
Great post Yankee Doubter
This is squarely on Giancarlo. He’s the injured one. Not getting checked out sooner hurts his team.
I do want to credit you for your try at sarcasm though. Amateur at best. Have a blessed day.
@dave
he has a no- trade or else he would’ve been moved years ago.
I never mentioned a trade; my comment about the Marlins is from when he got traded and the Marlins kicked in $10M per year for his last 3 years under contract.
Stanton owes it to the Yankees to stay on top of his health and let them know if he’s injured. Not doing so hurts the team.
Time for a sweet shot of JD …….
He can set aside that professional pickleball contract for a moment.
I interviewed JD Martinez, one of the best hitters in baseball.
He went from being cut by the worst team in baseball to becoming an All-Star – in an unconventional way (that everyone can learn from).
Check out the interview here:
Where? Sounds like a cool read!
There
Click on the link, dawg…
Your comment is as dumb as your screen name.
Not a “severe” surprise to Yankees fans
Only fitting that Stanton will make history as the first player having TJ surgery in both elbows at the same time.
Don’t understand why the Yankees ever hired this guy. He runs like a Grandma I was actually embarrassed to watch him run.
Now that he is injured can the Yankees just have insurance pay off the contract and wash their hands of him? I think guarranteed contracts are ridiculous to begin with and this is exactly why.
What an ignorant remark. You probably think safety regulations at workplaces and worker’s comp are “ridiculous,” too. Injured yourself at work? Too bad, just be more careful next time!
I’m going to mute you, but for the sake of the MLBTR community, please stop talking.
Workmans comp? Nobody made this guy lift too much weight. He chose to do it on his own and this is the result.
C’mon Grandma is a Olympian runner compared to him.
I guess trading for a 27-year-old MVP who hit 59 homers and had 132 RBI doesn’t appeal to a baseball savant like yourself.
Sorry but every non Yankee fan was happy with this trade. Their we fleeced the fish nonsense was hysterical. Only 3 more years…
@lucky, blame Loria and owners like him who sign guys to crazy contracts and then get lucky to move them because they can’t pay them. you think the Marlins could really afford that contract now and stay competitive? its a shame they are so small market oriented in such a cash flush city but you can’t bake the Yankees for offering and making the trade.
The Yanks gave up nothing though and Miami will be paying 30 million of the deal over the next few seasons. So everyone took an L on that trade.
That wasn’t the problem trading for him. The 200 million he was owed was always going to be the problem. There were a few savants on here who criticized the deal at the time saying marlins fleeced the Yankees. You can search the Stanton article on this site. One I remember was iverbure that guy was never wrong. It’s no wonder he was snap up by a mlb team.
I suspect the insurance is low to non-existent at this stage of the contract.
@ Stupendous Insurance companies don’t pay out so easily. And almost never on a retirement. He, or the team cannot simply “decide” that he is too hurt to play. His contract runs through 2027. Proving to the insurance company that he is injured enough to never play again will be next to impossible, and they would only pay out if and after all medical treatments have been exhausted. That isn’t [yet] the case here.
When Prince Fielder tried to retire due to injuries, the insurance company would not pay out on the whole contract. The Tigers wound up having to keep him on the roster for several more years and move him to the 60-day [then] DL every spring on a year-to-year basis. This meant he clogged up a roster space every off season when the DL was not in effect.
i would question your prince fielder example as he did not retire with the Tigers he retired with the Rangers whom the tigers traded him to for Ian Kinsler and that he negotiated a settlement with the insurance company the year after he discovered he was permanently injured and couldnt continue (Aug 2016 injury and Oct 2017 settlement).
My oversight on the Rangers trade. That said, the settlement only covered one year on a contract that was supposed to run through 2020. And the insurance only paid out $9 million of the nearly $24 million one-year price, with the rest being paid out by both the Tigers ($6M) and Rangers ($9M).
that is what they settled for aka settlement but for the team to be compensated for a long term disability payment he would have to remain on the team and (i would have to assume for this type of policy) a player on the roster. That is how insurance works.
The team can either try to convince him to retire and give up the rest of the contract (good luck with that) to get back the spot, release him and get back the roster spot but payout the rest of the contract themselves and not get reimbursed by the insurance company since he is not a player on the team, work with the insurance company to payout everything in a lump sum with the team making a full payout to the policy for the multiple future years to term the contract early and get back the roster spot but also take that cash out of play from the team reserves, or have him on the roster and maybe tested regularly that the injury has not changed for the insurance company (depends on company and situation) and the insurance company reimburses the team.
We also do not know how much the payment / coverage was for on the policy. Maybe for a unable to play is only 50% where as maybe some freak accident of like losing his leg or becoming blind from an upstairs pitch would be 100%. He was on the younger side so maybe they took out less insurance on him. So regardless the insurance those team would be paying out those amounts.
@geoff
That’s not accurate. He was with the Rangers when he was injured. He played 89 games in 2016 and missed the entire 2017 while on the 60 day. The Tigers were already on the hook for $6 mil per for the length of his remaining years. Fielder had 3 x $24 left on his deal. Tigers paid $6 mil of the $24 x 3 with the Rangers and instance company splitting the $24 in half, $9 mil x 3.
Geofft, insurance companies would definitely pay off on a retirement for medical reasons. They won’t pay if a player misses only part of a season like Fielder did with the Rangers in 2016, but if he misses the entire season like Fielder did in 2017 they do. Insurance companies never pay the entire salary. The max is 80%.
websoulsurfer…. Insurance did not pay out for Jeff Bagwell, nor for David Wright. And they paid less than 40% on Fielder.
They paid 80% on Fielder. There are many articles about it. Google it.
Not every team even applies let alone gets insurance for players. Ohtani is uninsurable. So was David Wright. So was Strasburg. I would be willing to guess that so is Stanton.
They paid $9 million of his $24 million salary. That falls way short of 80%.
I think you missed a huge number of things. Go back and actually READ the articles. While you are at it, take a remedial math class or two.
@StupendousYappi It’s not the Yankees who get to decide if he’s out permanently, and insurance companies are notorious for not being amenable to multiyear payoffs unless the injury is so obvious they can’t deny such a claim.
In the absence of incontrovertible evidence of debility an insurance company will use a mere 99% likelihood the player never plays again to knock a few dollars off its payout if the team wants to clear the roster spot.
The standard position player contract also has a 60-day deductible, meaning the player has not been able to take the field or participate in relevant activities past a certain level of competence for 60 days before the policy begins paying the team.
—So, no guaranteed contracts for players, but guaranteed profits and billion dollar stadiums given to owners along with their antitrust exemption?
Sure, if someone gets hurt on the job, which is 98% of MLB injuries, can’t we just kick them down a flight of stairs and be done with it?
I think calling something that is only guaranteed on one side a “contract” is laughable. It’s more of a permit.
Yankees gonna win and lose a lot of 2-1 games this year.
Nobody will pitch to Judge this year. He has no protection in the lineup. Nobody is going to let the MVP beat them. That’s why it was essential to sign Soto. When was the last time they made it anywhere with Judge in the lineup without any protection?
@ignorant
Judge protected Soto not the other way around. Stanton was Judges primary “protector” and honestly, I think teams were happy to take their chances with Stanton, who was a .231 batting average .298 OBP hitter. I was shocked that he had a .933 OPS with RISP tho.
Shocking.
Peanut brittle, get your peanut brittle here! Ahahahahaha!
Serve up the popcorn. Gunna be fun watching the Yankees this year.
if you enjoy low-scoring games, then yes
If Cole is out for the next 1.5 season then that means they get the stro show for the next 2 years not sure how low scoring those games will be
fair point
At least they have Soto to pick up the slack. Oh, wait….
“Injuries are just a big part of Stanton’s game” – Brian Cashman.
Stanton is only good for 100 or 110 games, and shows up for the playoffs. But if he misses all of 2025, that’s going to hurt the Yankees lineup.
Whe I woke up today I had a phenomenal breakfast. When I finished the Saturday morning feast I decided to sit on my couch and relax, check work emails and glance at MLBTR. I put “Mr Jones” by Counting Crows on my Bluetooth speaker and then see the news on Stanton. Immediately I stared at the bottle of Irish whiskey on my countertop while the music played in the background.
“Mr. Jones and me tell each other fairy tales
And we stare at the beautiful women
“She’s looking at you. Ah, no, no, she’s looking at me.”
Smiling in the bright lights, coming through in stereo
When everybody loves you, you can never be lonely”
Go Yankees 🙁
Drink your sorrows away, it works sometimes. (And come on aboard the Mariners bandwagon for awhile, there’s a seat for ya!)
Both elbows? Jeez
Putting all his weight on his elbows when he’s on all fours, obviously
Was he playing any tennis lately? Now he might be missing 2025 and some parts of 2026, he’s mostly not playing anyway. J.D Martinez on line 1 with Cashman.
Trade for Arenado
Tbh the Yankees should sign David Robertson and let 1 of the younger players like Rice, Jones or someone else handle DH. But what do I know? I’m just a humble Italian-American from Long Island who sells Jeeps at a dealership.
@craven
I think it’s an excellent opportunity for Rice and the Yanks need a lefty power bat. It’s far from a given but if Belli, Goldy, Marty, Rice, Jazz and Wells perform well and if we can get improvements from Volpe and whomever is at 3rd then they’ll have a good offense.
Jasson, Jazz, Belli, Wells, Rice, Oswaldo (better as right handed)… I think we need a righty bat. Arenado is still solid offensively (AL is a better division for hitters) and above average at 3B.
just what we need here in the bronx,josh donaldson 2.0.
Sources now say both of his arms fell off his body while walking, causing him to trip onto the expressway.
It’s been 4 months since the World Series and he still has these injuries from last season? Injuries which we heard nothing about until a few days ago. It seems really bizarre that it wasn’t addressed back in November and that he hasn’t recovered by now.
Rest up and we’ll see how you feel in four months? Yes, kind of wishful thinking, but other teams take this approach as well.
The medical profession in general tends to take that approach.
“It seems really bizarre..Back in November”…Clearly, they’ve been treating this elbow issue for the last few months and in the off-season.
Teams don’t announce it everytime a player shows up for a doctor’s appointment, sponge bath, treatment or rehab appointment. Just because we didn’t hear about it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
This should be fun this year to see which team has the highest Injured List of Payroll . Yankees, Dodgers or someone else? Best part is the deferred amount that will pay for years to come. And it just reminds me the most expensive team is not always the best for a reason of availability
Ridiculous statement considering the Dodgers won a World Series last season with 2 1/2 healthy starters
Correct! And the Dodgers are only getting older. Average age on that team must be 35.5. Sprains, strains, pulls and Injured List transactions are in the offing.
Average age of LAD is 29.5.
What the Friday?!
Injuries this severe that most likely require surgery should be dealt with immediately after the World Series. Double surgery on both Stanton’s elbows In October or November would very likely have had him ready to play sometime in early to mid
2025.
What were the Yankees thinking?!
@sports
Yankees were likely unaware of the issue or else I’m sure they would’ve had the common sense to insist on surgery last year.
I hope this doesn’t keep him from pursuing his favorite hobby of bench pressing attractive women .
From the sounds of the injury, he needs to stop putting all his weight on his elbows when on all fours. Those attractive women must come with straps
@dsett
I’m aware of at least 1 and I assume he an ass man which requires some heavy lifting.
Where’s that Yankee fan that told me this off-season that their window is “endless”?
Are we to understand the condition is epicondylitis — tennis elbow? Tendinitis has a way of never going away completely.
It does….after years of idleness.
Stanton is deserving of respect and compassion. From all reports, he has done everything right and nothing wrong. With all these injuries, they will need to supplement the active roster. They shouldn’t trade their future and should hold on to guys like Dominguez and Lombard Jr.
Just sign JD is all they really need to do. He’s fairly productive still. Not what he used to be, but they only need him to whether this particular situation
He was only productive against lefties. He was weak against RHers last year, and seemed to get weaker by the month. The real benefit to getting him is that he’s a good in the clubhouse, and is quite willng to share his knowledge with younger hitters.
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).
Thankfully??? A quote from Brain Cash Man? What does Dr. Boonedoggle think? Who’s the third stooge in this lineup of experts? Hoch Aloogie?
Holy cow.
“Third stooge”…The third person in the Yankee’s medical trilogy is actually that dark haired lady, who plays the “Crest” dentist in those tv commercials. The one who hits a lever and makes people fall into an exam chair
She has no kind of medical background whatsoever(but an above average actress)but afterall, she does portray a doctor on television so that should suffice.
And if that’s the case and the Yankees have a standard policy on Stanton, they’ll be reimbursed about 2/3 of his $32m 2025 (depending on how the various contracts treat or pro rate the Marlins contribution) salary—meaning any whining by Hal should be dismissed out of hand.
Severe elbow injury for both elbows in a 35 year old DH? Yikes.
This also begs the question: if Stanton comes back full strength from this, he’d need 3 seasons of averaging 25 home runs to get to 500 (which based on his last 2 seasons, is doable). Does that get him into the half of fame? Everyone with 500+ home runs who doesn’t have some suspicion of steroids and is eligible, is in the HOF.
Certainly wouldn’t hurt. And to be honest I don’t think he needs to get to 500 to get in.
Also kind of depends on how the voters see him I guess. Do they consider him a DH or more like a Frank Thomas type who played the field and DH’ed?
He already has more HRs than two of the three DH HOFers (Baines and Martinez)
I don’t think he’s HOF. He’s only got 2 seasons in top 10 of MVP voting, only 3 seasons above 5 WAR, and only 5 All-Star selections in the 14 seasons since his rookie season. In his ages 28 – 34 seasons, 7 years with NYY, he has 9 WAR total. If he gets to 500 HR hitting .212 / .291 / .454 like the average of his last 3 seasons, his career WAR will be ~ 47 to 49 and he still ain’t making the HOF.
@duffys cliff Stanton will not make the Hall of Fame. He’s worth 44.7 bWAR. No one with a figure that low has been voted in by the writers since they figured out BA wasn’t an essential stat.
Stanton’s been worth about 0.7 bWAR for the last 3 years, combined. He can get to 500 HR without adding to his current career bWAR.
Today’s writers know full well that Stanton with 500 HR is like Luis Arreaz winning 3 batting titles: It’s a personal feather in the player’s cap, but it’s in no way a mark of greatness.
Look at Alonso, unable to get anything like the contract he wanted. We know better in 2025.
Why should we be “thankful” for something Cashman said that’s just speculation?
Thankfulness is optional.
If he and Cole miss the year it seems like a lost season for the Yanks. Not ideal potentially wasting one of the few prime Judge seasons he has left. Judge will be 33 in April, nobody can expect him to keep up his level of production or recent health at 35, 36 years old and beyond. They’ve probably got a year or two of MVP caliber Aaron Judge left.
Each of his elbows? I know he’s a big dude and all, but does he have more than two elbows?
With the news on Stanton and Gerrit Cole the Yankees went ahead and ordered half a dozen replacement elbows just in case.
A whole box of macaroni?
If they’d written “all of his elbows” I’d be more sympathetic to your question.
Thanks, I was really after sympathy and am emotionally crushed to not get it.
If Stanton misses significant time, do the Yankees go after JD Martinez or do they move Judge to DH more often with Grisham in CF and Bellinger in RF?
Soto gone, Stanton double tennis elbow … and Jasson Dominguez AFAIK can’t play LF. Outfield will be the Bombers’ biggest worry in the build-up to Opening Day.
@MeowMeow Great question. Are Judge and the Yankees smart enough to give him A LOT of time at DH before he gets hurt again playing the field, or are they going to go the Trout route and wait until the player is all but wrecked before moving him out of the field?
Probably the latter.
I’m starting to miss the scrawny players of my youth. Who cares if they couldn’t hit the ball out of the infield on the fly; at least they could make it through an entire 162-game season.
I was hoping he’d chase 500 in the next couple of yrs
Might be a while before we see someone join that club again
Bryce Harper probably has the best chance of reaching 500. He already has 336 and averages about 30-35 home runs when he is fully healthy. It would take him about 4-5 more seasons to reach 500 if he stays healthy. Trout could do it too, but he hasn’t been nearly as healthy as Harper. But he doesn’t need to consistently play 140+ games a year to reach it. If he is healthy enough to average 120 games a season with his current average games per home run rate, he could also reach 500 in the next 4-5 seasons. If Judge continues to hit like 55 home runs a year, he’ll only need 3-4 more seasons, but averaging that many home runs a season would be insane, considering he’s already hit 55+ in two of the last 3 seasons, and would have hit 50+ in 2023 had it not been for a freak injury
Manny Machado could have a sneaky chance at 500 home runs. He already has 342 and is about the same age as Harper. He also hits about 30 home runs in fully healthy seasons on average.
Machado & harper definitely have a solid shot at 500, but even if they stay healthy it’ll be 5,6,7 more yrs
Soto needs 299 hr to reach 500, so he’s a long way off but he’s only 25 & just signed a 15yr deal so my guess is he’ll reach 500 & maybe even 600
Alonso has 226 total in only 6 seasons but he’s 30 now, i think he’ll reach around 400
And I had him easily passing Upton and Galarraga and maybe even Cabrera in career whiffs. I need someone to threaten Reggie’s all-time mark. Come on, Eugenio.
If Suarez continues to average 190-200 K’s, he’ll only need 5-6 more seasons, but he is already 33.
Adam dunn would easily have broken reggie’s K record but also reached 550-600 hrs if he didnt retire early. Didnt want any part of that infamy even if it meant an exclusive hr club
Schwarber could come close. He has averaged about 200 K’s a season since joining Philly. He just turned 32 and would need about 6.5 more seasons to break Reggie’s record.
He needs to stay off his elbows when he’s on all fours, lol.
@dsett
5x with the same joke fam?.
Choke on it, Stankees.
It’s time to retire, Giancarlo.
Wasn’t it about this time last year, yankees fans were predicting comeback play of year?
The lack of support for their players and team a lot of Yankees fans demonstrate is appalling.
He needs to stop resting on his elbows when he’s on all fours
6x
Easier to list what extremities aren’t injured…
First thing that came to mind was the t-Rex from Toy Story.
Wow
I never heard of anyone with TWO elbow problems except in an accident
I authorize a $5 million dollar deal for JD Martinez
The Glass Man lives on.
He should get the surgery and get back in 2026.
Old teams break down. But the Yankees will just sign more and wonder why.
yankees aren’t an old team. 2b, ss, 3b, c, cf and lf are all under 30
Obviously, TOO MUCH Elbow-bending during the offseason.
All those 12 oz. curls take their toll.
Man has considerable talent, even at this age and after all the injuries. If he could have stayed reasonably healthy, quite possibly a HOF career. This is pretty sad. Maybe the Yankees have insurance, maybe not, but “severe” could be a full season. I’d be shocked if the Yankees just cut him loose. In the field, the man can hit. The trade still surprises in hindsight, but the WS gave us a glimpse of what might have been.
Agree. If healthy he’d have had a lock on the HOF a couple of years ago. The problem is, outside his great work in the postseason he doesn’t hit enough and can’t get on base enough.
His SLG at .454 the last three seasons isn’t particularly impressive and can’t begin to compensate for his .291 OBP. Seager was 10th in SLG at .512. Stanton’s probably top 30, but he’s probably bottom 20 by OBP among qualified players.
His bWAR tells the tale, averaging just 0.2 bWAR per season fr 2022-2024
Cashman needs to get on the phone & sign JD Martinez
Perhaps. But its not as if JDM is a real solution. He was below average against right handers l;ast year (6.83 OPS), and they make up more than 70% of the pitching. And he was weak overall (.623 OPS) in the second half of the season. Maybe thats all they need – a stopgap platoon DH for half a season until one of the younger hitters gets acclimated to major league pitching.
Hope Stanton recovers.
The sheer amount of trolls in this comment section is astounding.
JD Martinez would do very well in Yankee Stadium with his oppo power. I didn’t realize there was anything wrong with Stanton. He never looked better at the plate than he did last October but if he is having surgery JD is the best most seamless move to make.
Of course that’s assuming Brandon Belt has no intention of returning. The Yankees watched him drum up an .858 ops with Toronto in 2023. Not sure what kind of loss he might have had in bat speed and readiness with a year off but it would be interesting to see. JD finished poorly, Brandon wasn’t there at all. These are the two best old vets who could step in for Stanton.
Yanks going down Cole Stanton Gil….bad signs.
can no longer cosplay macho man randy savage
Yankees need to sign that guy from Reddit’s mom.
Right on schedule.
Bone and or joint deterioration is one side effect of PEDs.
If you had Stanton as the first player to ever have Tommy John surgery the same day on both elbows on your bingo card, congratulations.
Soft
Thank goodness baseball never messed up his gym routine. What a clown. I don’t think he ever once prepared his body for the actual game of baseball.
I think that’s bad
For all the negativity, it is entirely possible that Stanton was doing the same things he’s always done. The dude is 35, so injuries are not unexpected.
Teams still haven’t cracked the durability equation for extreme power hitters like Stanton.
As an alternative low cost idea, why not give a call to Robinson Cano? In the Mexican league last year he had video game stats. Batted over.400 in 360 AB’s. Still ranking in the winter leagues too.
a lot of trollish energy directed at a clutch performer who’s also a stand-up guy and great teammate. it’s not his fault he’s overpaid and he’s not the only player who struggles to stay on the field. the injury update is obviously bad but when boone said he was away from the team because of “personal matters” i imagined far worse scenarios
JDM or Verdugo?
JD
Stanton’s been a standup guy his whole time with the Yanks. Injuries happen, but he’s never ducked from the press, the fans or wanting to win. Lots of players fail in NYC b/c they can’t handle the glare, and lots of guys seem to find injuries to take the easy way out (American Idle Pavano, Ellsbury) – not Stanton.
I’m not a Yankee fan, I bleed Red Sox red but I definitely feel bad for Stanton. Year after year after year it’s been something since leaving Miami.
What a terrible contract. At 35, missing the entire season is career threatening. Just cut him loose, eat the salary, and move on. This guy ends up on the DL after a trip to the barber.
So J.D. Martinez to the yanks
RENDON making more money than Stanton this year lol.
No the story would continue with the player dying of concussion related brain trauma and the NFL continuing to make record profits
I feel bad for Stanton, he just can’t stay healthy. He probably should retire and walk into the sunset.
Steroids is the only way he has two elbow injuries. Makes sense
This is about as odd as anything ever. DH “severely” injured both elbows????
I had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn’t April Fools Day.
The injuries we see in all sports, these days, are categorically absurd.
Well these 10 year 12 year contracts are looking good. The dumbest thing to happen in baseball. Not to mention the money. And yes, The cost gets passed down the the consumer. I think Soto might be the last big contract ever. Fat Vlad 2 isn’t going to get close to that figure. And Ohtani only got the money because of the back load portion that surely will be changed at some point. Shorter deals will be coming and here to stay.
Not a Yankees fan, but he can get and stay healthy
As I’m not a Yankee fan at all, I don’t follow them a ton but have a few questions for those who do follow them closely. When did these elbow injuries actually happen? And if over the winter, why has it taken until recently to start dealing with fixing the problem? I don’t believe I’ve seen anything on this since the World Series ended.