The only thing that would make the New York Yankees outfield even more potent than it already is is the potential return of Giancarlo Stanton as a defender, let alone a dangerous slugger in the batting order.
Stanton had been struggling considerably toward the end of the 2022 regular season, hitting .143 with a 22.4% on-base rate in the month of September. However, he finished October hitting home runs in three consecutive games, getting on base at a 58% clip over nine at-bats.
If the Yankees get the best version of Stanton during the postseason, they will undoubtedly be in a great spot moving forward. However, getting his defensive quality back would also be beneficial, given he has a fantastic arm and is a bit more athletic than most give him credit for.
Stanton has played 312.2 innings this season in the outfield, but getting him back in that capacity would allow the Yankees to be even more flexible with their batting order.
Stanton could get some reps in the outfield during the post-season, which would open up the DH entirely for Matt Carpenter.
Giancarlo Stanton did not rule out playing in the outfield this postseason…. Said he’ll take some reps out there during workouts the next two days
Per Yankees reporter Meredith Marakovits
The Yankees having Giancarlo Stanton back in a defensive role would help:
Manager Aaron Boone has already confirmed that Carpenter will be on the roster for the ALDS, but there’s a looming question regarding his usage. If Stanton remains in his usual designated hitter role, getting Carpenter involved will be a bit more difficult.
- Yankees’ super-utility man is seeing his numbers plummet back down to Earth
- Yankees’ $98 million slugger in the middle of another ice-cold stretch
- Yankees could see this interesting pitching prospect get an MLB promotion
The veteran slugger dominates with runners in scoring position and against right-handed pitching, so he could serve a purpose late in games when the Yankees need a spark.
There will be occasions where Boone may want Stanton to feature in the outfield, pushing Oswaldo Cabrera to the bench and Carpenter into the DH spot. Given Cabrera has never experienced playoff baseball before, they need to have an insurance policy just in case, and Giancarlo is the perfect one.