Every year, the Yankees are once again banking on veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton to provide a vintage performance, and he did pretty much just that in 2025, despite two elbows that were dealing with tendinitis, which kept him out for the first few months of the regular season. With that being said, he returned with a vengeance despite disappearing in the playoffs.
A Tale of Two Seasons
| Season | Games | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | HR | RBI | wRC+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 114 | 459 | .233 | .298 | .475 | 27 | 72 | 117 |
| 2025 | 77 | 281 | .273 | .350 | .594 | 24 | 66 | 158 |
The contrast between 2024 and 2025 is striking. In 2024, Stanton played 114 games but posted pedestrian numbers for a player of his caliber. A .233 batting average with a .298 on-base percentage and 117 wRC+ (17% above league average) was solid but uninspiring. His strikeout rate crept up to 31.2%, and his .475 slugging percentage was his lowest since his injury-plagued 2019 campaign.
Then came 2025. Despite being limited to just 77 games by elbow tendinitis, Stanton absolutely mashed when he was on the field. His .273/.350/.594 slash line was reminiscent of his prime years in Miami, and his 158 wRC+ ranked among the elite designated hitters in baseball. He hit 24 home runs in just 281 plate appearances, a pace that would have put him well over 40 home runs across a full season. His 66 RBI in limited action showed he was still a run-producing machine when healthy.
The Metrics Back Up the Eye Test
The Yankees know Stanton is a force of nature and are still ranked among the best in hard-hit rate, barrel percentage, and bat speed. When Stanton connects, the ball jumps off the bat with elite exit velocity. His ability to barrel pitches remains among the best in baseball, and his bat speed, despite being 35 years old, has not significantly deteriorated.
If he can maintain those metrics and keep a solid eye with his plate discipline (his 10.3% walk rate in 2025 was his best since 2022), Stanton has the capacity to be one of the best designated hitters in baseball once again. The strikeout rate did tick up to 34.2% in 2025, the highest of his career, but when you’re slugging nearly .600 and posting a 158 wRC+, the strikeouts become acceptable collateral damage.
The Injury Reality
However, age does take its toll, and injuries are always a possibility when it comes to Stanton and his style of play. The elbow tendinitis that cost him the first few months of 2025 was more severe than initially reported, affecting both elbows and forcing the Yankees to manage his workload carefully throughout the season. It’s safe to assume he will miss time every single year at this stage of his career. Since joining the Yankees in 2018, Stanton has averaged just 104 games per season, and that includes his relatively healthy 2021 campaign (139 games).
The Yankees have built their roster with this reality in mind. They need Stanton for 80-100 games of elite production, not 150 games of mediocrity. In 2025, they got exactly what they hoped for: a healthy Stanton delivering MVP-caliber offense when on the field, even if the sample size was limited. The playoff disappearance was frustrating, but regular season Stanton in 2025 was everything the Yankees needed him to be.
The 2026 Outlook
After putting together such an impressive 2025 season, there’s plenty of reason to believe Stanton will be a fine cleanup hitter as usual in 2026. He’s expecting to help lead a winning ball club, and if his health cooperates, there’s no reason he can’t replicate his 2025 production. The key is managing his workload, keeping the elbow tendinitis from flaring up again, and accepting that 80-90 games of 158 wRC+ production is more valuable than 140 games of 117 wRC+ performance.
The Yankees are banking on vintage Stanton once again in 2026. Based on what he showed in 2025, that’s not a bad bet.
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