Giancarlo Stanton Resumes Hitting After Injury
Giancarlo Stanton, who hasn’t played since April 24 due to a calf strain, got back to hitting on Wednesday.
The 36-year-old made his first at-bat against Angel Chivili (who’s dealing with right shoulder issues) since he hurt his calf while running the bases against the Astros earlier this season.
Interestingly, all but one of the hits he made were foul balls, the exception being a soft grounder to left.
In addition, outfielder Jason Dominguez has also been active in pregame routines. He’s set to kick off a minor league rehab assignment on Friday as he works his way back from a sprained left shoulder AC joint sustained on May 7.
“I’m glad I got some reps and went out and did that,” manager Aaron Boone commented before the Yankees fell to the Guardians 5-4. “I think we’ll give Giancarlo another shot on Saturday, hoping Jason gets to start rehab on Friday.”
The Yankees initially sent Dominguez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at the start of the season. After being called up on April 27 due to injuries affecting Stanton and Lewis Hill, he unfortunately got hurt when he crashed into a wall while playing in left field.
The return of both players is a positive sign for the Yankees, especially as they await the official return of Aaron Judge, who is recovering from a bone bruise in his upper rib cage. Even with Stanton back, the team will handle Judge’s absence, but it should ease some of the pressure on their offensive lineup.
Stanton has played only as a designated hitter this season to help manage his workload.
His batting average of .256 currently places him sixth on the team among players with at least 20 games this season.
In other news, Carlos Lagrange, who recently transitioned to the SWB bullpen, showcased his potential by pitching four scoreless innings in his first relief appearance on Wednesday, striking out seven while walking two batters. He reached a throwing speed of 161.4 mph, as reported by the YES Network.
Boone also mentioned that Max Fried, out since mid-May with a left elbow contusion, is increasing his throwing distance from 75 feet to 90 feet, with possible re-imaging late next week to assess whether he’ll be able to throw from the mound.
