The New York Yankees have struggled offensively the past few weeks ever since a myriad of injuries hit the squad. One of those injuries was top slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a sore ankle.
Prior to going down, Stanton was hitting .285 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs this season. He also hosted a 34% on base rate and a .523 slugging percentage. Overall, his offensive contributions were a significant part of the Yankees’ production, and they’ve been trying to supplement his loss ever since.
However, manager Aaron Boone stated earlier this week that Stanton was nearing a return.
“I haven’t talked to him today yet about it. I was out there shagging for him and his early (batting practice) and stuff. But my understanding and just in my conversations with him in the days leading up to today, and getting the training report, is that he’s doing really well. And, I would imagine he’d be close. If not, I think he’s eligible Saturday,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “So, we’ll see. I don’t want to speak too soon. But I know he’s doing really well.”
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The Yankees will get reinforcements soon:
Thankfully, Giancarlo is swinging the bat again and moving around seamlessly. The Yankees have been looking to players like Miguel Andujar and newly acquired veteran Matt Carpenter to supplement his power, but there aren’t many players in baseball that can hit like Stanton.
Andujar has served valiantly in his absence in the cleanup spot. Over eight plate appearances, Andujar is hitting .250 with two hits and an RBI. He’s been a bit more effective in the five-hole, hitting .357 with five hits and an RBI over 14 at-bats.
The hope is that Stanton could return this upcoming weekend as the Yankees prepare to face off against the Detroit Tigers in a three-game series.