Spring training just started and Giancarlo Stanton is already dealing with an injury problem.
Stanton is dealing with pain in both of his elbows, he admitted Monday. The slugging designated hitter characterized the level of pain as “very high” and admitted he is not certain he will be ready for the New York Yankees’ opener on March 27.
Stanton has not even swung a bat in roughly a month. It also does not sound like he is making a great deal of progress in overcoming the pain problem, putting Opening Day further in doubt.
Injuries have been an ongoing issue for Stanton for some time. He did manage to play 114 games last season, perhaps due to a notable change he made prior to 2024. However, he has routinely missed a significant chunk of games in most of the seasons he has played since joining the Yankees in 2018.
There is no question that Stanton still carries a great deal of value. His seven playoff home runs last season were instrumental in getting the Yankees to the World Series. Those hot streaks have been few and far between in regular season action, though.
Stanton hit 27 home runs for New York last season. He has not hit 30 homers in one season since 2022.
