
The New York Yankees lost Giancarlo Stanton to a hamstring injury over the weekend. It is still not clear whether he will miss too much time, but history suggests that the team should take a cautious approach with him and physical ailments, especially given the overall depth that the Bombers can enjoy.
The Stanton injury will likely result in the Yankees calling up Clint Frazier to shore up the outfield and the bench. Mike Ford could receive additional plate appearances not that Stanton isn’t in the picture, at least in the short term. But none of them will be the biggest beneficiary of the slugger’s absence.
Mike Tauchman, who was already receiving plenty of playing time before the Yankees lost Stanton, will now shift to an everyday role. Many people will say that he was deserving of it since last season, when he slashed .277/361/.504 while being a fine baserunner and top-caliber fielder in center and left.
This time around, Tauchman is also providing the New York Yankees with top-notch offensive production at .310/.355/.414, with four stolen bases so far. He has six hits in his last seven games, including three doubles.
Separating himself from the other Yankees’ options
However, if he is going to take full advantage of the playing time available and separate himself from the other options in the New York Yankees’ roster, Tauchman needs to improve his plate discipline numbers.
Last season, he showed he was more than willing to take a walk, with an 11.5 BB%. This time around, the numbers has decreased almost by half, as he is at 6.5 BB%. Of course, it is still early in the season.
Another possible red flag is that his strikeout rate has surged from 24.0% last season to 32.3% in 2020. Another area to improve. If Tauchman is able to make those adjustments and keep hitting, stealing bases and showing a good glove, it will be very hard for the Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone to write his name off the lineup even when Stanton returns.