Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees has been experiencing a resurgence this season, once again demonstrating his prowess as a powerful middle-of-the-order hitter. However, he is facing another setback as he returns to the injured list due to a strained hamstring, expected to sideline him for four weeks.
This injury is disappointing for both Stanton and the Yankees, as his tenure with the team has been consistently interrupted by injuries. Since joining in 2018, he has played in over 110 games in just two out of six seasons, often limited to designated hitter duties due to his reduced outfield capability.
Over the past two seasons alone, Stanton has missed 266 games out of a possible 708, highlighting the significant impact of injuries on his availability for the team.
Stanton went through an extremely intensive offseason program to try and improve his health and availability for this season, and entering the weekend the results had been promising.
He had already hit 18 home runs, had a slugging percentage closing in on .500 for the season and an OPS+ of 120 (with 100 being league average).
Along with Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Anthony Volpe and Alex Verdugo he was providing the Yankees with some serious offensive depth that has helped them race out to being one of baseball’s best teams.
They concern here with Stanton isn’t just that he is back on the IL, but that it might be something that lingers after he returns. Given his recent history there is no reason to believe this will be the last of his injury concerns this season.