New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton played in just 77 games in 2025 due to tennis elbow. And, the injury isn’t getting much better. During spring training on Wednesday, Stanton gave an alarming quote about how bad the injury is.
“I can’t open a bottle,” Stanton told NJ.com’s Randy Miller. “I can’t open a bag of chips, a bag of anything. That’s the way it is.”
Stanto also said he has “good days and bad days” with the pain in his elbows, but he is determined to play a full season in 2026, even with the ongoing injury.
During spring training last year, Stanton described the injury as a “very high” level of pain, and he even said it was in both elbows.
In 2025, Stanton played fewer than 100 games for the first time since 2020, but he still hit .273 with 24 home runs and 66 RBIs. Stanton didn’t make his 2025 season debut until June 16.
While Stanton has not yet played in spring training this time around, he has taken live batting practice.
In his second inning of live BP, #Yankees prospect Carlos Lagrange gets job done facing Giancarlo Stanton in live BP. pic.twitter.com/q81WxDNVsi
— Randy Miller (@RandyJMiller) February 16, 2026
The Yankees plan to have Stanton make his spring debut on Tuesday, March 3, against Team Panama, and the hope is that Stanton can be ready to go for Opening Day.
