The New York Yankees can’t afford to sustain any more injuries, which is why they dodged a series bullet with slugger Giancarlo Stanton on Monday after he fouled a ball off his foot.
Stanton, who recently returned from Achilles tendinitis, has struggled considerably in the batter’s box, not making an impact offensively as he’s featured primarily as a designated hitter.
In the sixth inning, he sustained the foul ball off his foot but came up limping after an eighth-inning at-bat. Following the game, x-rays indicated that Stanton didn’t suffer any significant damage to his foot, but he could miss a few games if there’s any substantial bruising.
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The Yankees need the best version of Giancarlo Stanton badly:
Since returning from Achilles tendinitis, Stanton has recorded just four hits over 35 at-bats. He hit .130 in the month of August and his batting .083 in September over three games.
Stanton looked fantastic the first half of the season, hitting 24 homers, but he hasn’t recorded a long ball since July 19 during the All-Star game, where he won the MVP. His last home run as a Yankee came on July 15 against the Boston Red Sox in an extra-innings loss.
At this point in time, if Stanton can’t find a way to contribute offensively, the Yankees will have a difficult time winning games in the postseason. Aaron Judge currently represents their entire offense, which has put more pressure on the starting pitching to pick up the slack.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yankees shut down Stanton for a day or two to make sure he’s 100% healthy before returning to the lineup. However, with Stanton out of the equation, the Yankees don’t have any options to fill the designated hitter role. They could look to Gleyber Torres, starting Oswald Peraza at second base.