Brian Cashman surprised us all at the GM meetings in November by saying he thought Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton would get hurt, but he didn’t get any politeness points. GMs don’t generally make negative predictions about players, especially star players, but in fairness, Cashman was right. Stanton’s injuries are unfortunately becoming predictable.
And whatever you say about Stanton — and apparently even his GM said it — his absence with a hamstring injury is a big blow not only to him but to the team.
He may not be the 59-home run guy he once was, but he’s certainly the third of three big men in a star-studded lineup that’s outscored every team except the Orioles and Dodgers, and he’s the reigning home run leader with 420 and on pace to hit 37 in 2024.
Fans and even his front office can and do criticize Stanton, but he clearly worked all winter to get in shape and looks healthier than anyone in MLB (and, to his credit, Stanton is always a fine guy, whether he’s hitting, whiffing or getting hurt). They slam him, but now they may all know how much they’re going to miss him.
“He’s been what you want from a center fielder,” coach Aaron Boone said. “He’s been a threat every day.”
Aside from the fact that Boone is unusually more diplomatic than just about anyone (not just Cashman), he’s right: With Stanton the lineup looks ominous. Without him, it doesn’t look so ominous.
The Yankees announced that Stanton’s hamstring injury was “minor” after an MRI, but declined to give an official timetable for his return. The first game Stanton missed was against the Braves in front of a packed stadium in Atlanta-like weather (i.e., hot and humid, nasty) and the Yankees were handily defeated, 3-1.
That could happen with ace Max Fried, but Boone’s likely lineup now seems to be hitting a wall somewhere around the middle, at least based on the current stats.
That’s why the Yankees acquired J.D. Davis on Sunday. It’s not a good thing that he was designated for assignment by the Athletics, who left him nearly homeless, but he looks like he could contribute. Boone said Davis could be part of a platoon, which suggests he’ll play first base, but third base might need to be strengthened, too.
Davis, a former Mets player, was told by friends that he was “enthusiastic” about being traded to the Yankees, but that’s just how he is: He’s always been enthusiastic.
The Yankees had hoped to focus less on infielders at the deadline and more on their ever-changing relief corps, but with Anthony Rizzo and Stanton both injured and the bottom half of their lineup struggling, they have little choice.
Gleyber Torres, in the midst of a nightmare season, batted fifth on Sunday.
Two-time batting champion DJ LeMahieu, who has zero extra base hits (.185 slugging percentage) since returning from a foot injury, finished in sixth place.
Next up was eager rookie Ben Rice, followed by catcher Jose Trevino, who has been in good form this season, and Trent Grisham, who had two hits on Sunday and is batting .136.
“The problem is, when you take out your No. 5 and No. 6 hitters, you have guys lower down the order to replace them,” one American League scout said. “So your new No. 5 and No. 6 hitters are Torres and LeMahieu, and they’re both [are struggling] Right now, their lineup looks like it has top-four potential, and they’re just waiting for Judge to fall.”
(Me: Not only is Judge fully healthy, he is the arguably AL MVP right now.)
The Yankees have great records and impressive team statistics, but frankly, this team is top-heavy, and Stanton’s absence makes them even more top-heavy.
Of course, the Yankees are fortunate to have two top MVP candidates (No. 1 and No. 3, if you prefer Gunnar Henderson to Juan Soto), but Stanton’s injury is yet another reminder of how dependent the Yankees are on their two biggest stars.
Aaron Judge and Soto combined to account for 57 percent of the homers and 48 percent of the RBIs in Sunday’s lineup, and even Soto has been mediocre in recent days.
Boone seemed rather optimistic about Stanton’s injury (and rightly so!). Another Yankees source (not Cashman) opined that it was not encouraging that Stanton’s injury occurred while he was running at three-quarter speed on a play that could have led to a run (wisely, he’s playing it cautiously, given his past performances). Cashman has yet to comment.
What he said in November, which Cashman had to explain to Stanton’s agent, Joel Wolf, was this: “I’m not going to say he’s going to play every game next year. That’s not the case. It’s more likely he’ll get hurt again, because injuries seem to be a part of his game.”
Boone didn’t give a timeline for Stanton’s return before revealing doctors expected him to be out for four weeks, which seems like a smart move considering teams often underestimate how much pain players are in. Unfortunately, that may not be the case for .1000 hitter Cashman.
