It looked like the Yankees were facing an impossible situation three weeks ago when Aaron Judge was diagnosed with a flexor strain in his right elbow. Giancarlo Stanton made sure it didn’t turn out that way.
Judge missed 10 games on the IL and has only been able to play designated hitter because he is restricted from throwing. With Stanton as the full-time DH, it looked like the ballclub was in an “either-or” situation that would relegate one of its two most dangerous hitters to a bench role.
Then Stanton picked up his glove and returned to the outfield for the first time since Sept. 14, 2023. By playing the outfield — he was in rightfield for the third time in four days on Tuesday night when the Yankees faced Minnesota at the Stadium — he has allowed the Yankees’ lineup to be the best it can be, with both righty sluggers present.
And as manager Aaron Boone put it “that’s huge.”
“G’s here to win — period,” Boone said, referring to Stanton. “There’s different things that pop up over the course of the season that require changing course or doing something a little bit different. In his case, with Aaron going down for this period of time, [it’s] making himself an option again in the outfield.
“He knows it’s important to the club, so he started working hard at it to prepare for this and . . . give us that option,” he added. “So [we’re] super appreciative of him because G is about winning and that’s all he really cares about and he knows there’s things you’ve got to sacrifice along the way and he’s been willing to do that.”
Suggest that Stanton has made a sacrifice though and he doesn’t agree.
“I don’t look at it like that,” Stanton told Newsday. “You get dealt cards and you have to figure out how to play in the best way. This is the scenario we’re in and this game is about adapting and you can’t be around for a long time, if you don’t.”
When the Judge diagnosis and prescription came out, Stanton said he had no hesitation about returning to the outfield and even suggested he was looking forward to it. He began fielding balls there before games and finally stepped into the role for Saturday’s win against the Astros.
“This is mostly refining for me — knock the dust off and get the rust out,” Stanton said. “You know, I did it for many years so it’s just a matter of being back out there and taking a few extra looks back and knowing how many steps you [have].
“I’m having fun. It’s a challenge. It’s stimulating,” he added. “It’s definitely a challenge of making sure I’ve over-thought every scenario and understood the plays [to make] before they happen, and being engaged. . . . It’s a slightly different way of being locked into the game.”
In seven of his first eight seasons — all with the Marlins — Stanton played at least 98 games in the outfield. Since the 2017 trade to the Yankees, he’s played 185 games in the outfield over eight seasons.
Judge has begun a throwing program but Boone on Tuesday could give no timetable for when he might be able to return to the outfield.
“He was obviously putting in the work . . . but, I mean, I think he looks really good,” Cody Bellinger said. “He’s made good throws. Ultimately, it’s him being in the lineup that is the biggest thing.”
Entering play Tuesday, Stanton was on a 26-game tear where he has a 1.065 OPS with 10 home runs and 24 RBIs.
“Right now, he is really fun to watch at the plate,” Bellinger said.
And while everyone is aware of how much time Stanton has spent on the IL with the Yankees for a myriad of issues, Boone said Stanton is holding up to the rigors of playing in the field so well that he didn’t think twice about putting him in the outfield on consecutive nights. “I just felt like he’s responded well to it physically and obviously you want to keep his bat in there as much as possible.”
“When he is in the lineup, our lineup is at our best,” Bellinger said. “He adds a whole different dynamic to it. He adds length, obviously the power threat and just the quality [at-bats] every single day right now.”
He also suggested that outsiders might not realize what Stanton has done to be ready for this, however long Judge is restricted from playing the field.
“What we see behind the scenes, the preparation . . . and mental side of it, it’s been really impressive,” Bellinger said. “That’s how he’s been one of the best players in the game.”
Notes & quotes
Reliever Jonathan Loaisiga, on the IL with back tightness since Aug. 2, threw a side session and Boone said he could be back in less than two weeks. . . . Commissioner Rob Manfred was at the Stadium to speak with the Twins as part of his tour of teams.
