Alexander Wilson
Good news on the Stanton front. The New York Yankees slugger hit in the cage on Friday, according to Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network, which is the first real sign of on-field activity since he landed on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain. He’s also doing pool work as part of his recovery, with running still to come before he gets close to a return. The expectation at this point is that he needs at least another week, maybe more, and the Yankees have zero interest in pushing a 36-year-old through a calf issue faster than his body allows.
That’s the right call. Stanton’s history makes patience non-negotiable here. He hasn’t played more than 116 games in a season since 2018, and the Yankees know better than anyone that getting him back too soon on a lower leg injury is how a 10-day stint turns into a month-long absence. Take the extra days, let him run, let him ramp up fully, and bring him back when the calf is genuinely ready.
Where He Stood Before the Injury
Stanton had played 24 games before going down, hitting .256/.302/.422 with three homers, 14 RBIs, a 101 wRC+, and a 30.2% strikeout rate. Right around league average, which is fine for a player who was coming off a hot start and settling into his rhythm. The walk rate at 6.3% has been lower than his career norms, something worth watching when he returns, but the power production was building and the Yankees were getting useful at-bats from him before the calf tightened up.
In the meantime, Jasson Dominguez is back in the lineup after his CT scan came back clean, and with Randal Grichuk now gone, the outfield depth has actually improved rather than deteriorated. Dominguez is a better option than Grichuk was on his best day, so this roster is in better shape than it looks from the outside.
Stanton will be back. The Yankees just need him healthy when he gets there.
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