New York Yankees: Giancarlo Stanton makes inevitable IL trek

Giancarlo Stanton had been one of the few bright spots for the New York Yankees‘ lineup this season. Although the Yankees have struggled with the bats, Stanton has been his usual self, a power hitting threat any time he was in the lineup. He was even relatively healthy, appearing in 33 of the Yankees’ 37 games this season.

That changed on Monday. Stanton made his inevitable trek to the Injured List, backdated to May 14.

New York Yankees place Giancarlo Stanton in accustomed spot

It may not be much of a surprise that this stint on the IL occurred after a trek to Tropicana Field. Even though he has exclusively appeared as a designated hitter this season, the field in the Trop is not exactly conducive to long term health, especially for a player such as Stanton.

This is a tough blow for the Yankees. Stanton had posted a .282/.347/.534 batting line in his 144 plate appearances, hitting nine homers and six doubles. His 148 OPS+ was the second best on the team, trailing only Aaron Judge.

Not only will the Yankees miss his presence in the lineup, but his injury also impacts their outfield. While Stanton had not appeared in the outfield yet this season in an attempt to keep him healthy, that may have been set to change. With Aaron Hicks on the Injured List as well, there had been talk that Stanton would make his 2021 debut in the outfield.

Obviously, any of those plans have fallen by the wayside. Even when he returns to the lineup, it is not likely that the Yankees will be inclined to put him in the outfield following his latest injury. Not only is this a major loss for the lineup, but it is also a major hit to the Yankees’ overall depth as well.

Giancarlo Stanton is making his annual trek to the Injured List. The New York Yankees have to hope that this stint will not last long.