NEW YORK — Yankees powerhouse Giancarlo Stanton has confirmed he will stick with using the torpedo bat upon returning from the persistent pain in both his elbows. Although he was reluctant to link the use of the new bat model to his injuries, he persisted in supporting the innovative design.
Last year, Stanton ventured into using these distinctive bats that boast more wood towards the lower part of the barrel, creating a shape similar to a bowling pin. During spring training, he hinted that the bat might contribute to his discomfort, stating cryptically about “probably some bat adjustments,” but admitted he wasn’t entirely sure if they were the root cause.
“You’re not going to get the story you’re looking for,” Stanton remarked on Tuesday, just before the Yankees faced off in a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. “So if that’s what you guys want, that ain’t going to happen.”
The torpedo bats gained national attention when players like Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Paul Goldschmidt, Anthony Volpe, and Austin Wells used them to collectively score nine out of New York’s 15 home runs during the season’s opening sweep against the Milwaukee Brewers.
These specialty bats were crafted by Aaron Leonhardt, an MIT physicist and former front-office employee for the Yankees, who is now affiliated with the Miami Marlins. Before a game between the Marlins and the Mets, Leonhardt explained that the concept of these bats came about in 2023, attributing the players’ success to their skills.
“It makes a lot of sense,” Stanton said about the bat concept. “But it’s like, why hasn’t anyone thought of it in 100-plus years? It’s explained simply and then you try it and as long as it’s comfortable in your hand.”
Despite the ongoing elbow pain, Stanton has commenced training with the Trajekt machine, which replicates high-speed and live pitching, marking the beginning of his rehabilitation process. The 35-year-old designated hitter anticipates requiring a stint in minor league rehab, having missed all of spring training and not swung a bat since January.
“This is very unique,” Stanton expressed. “I definitely haven’t missed a full spring before. It will just depend on timing, really.”
Stanton played a pivotal role in the 2024 postseason by batting .273 with seven homers and 16 RBIs, driving the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 2009. On February 17, at the start of the camp this year, he revealed he’d not held a bat in three or four weeks due to elbow pain and received three rounds of platelet-rich plasma injections.
During the previous regular season, Stanton batted .233, hit 27 homers, and achieved 72 RBIs over 114 games, with his momentum halted by a left hamstring strain from late June to late July.
Stanton originally entered into a landmark $325 million, 13-year contract with the Marlins in 2015. In 2017, he achieved 59 homers and 132 RBIs, earning the NL MVP title. Acquired by the Yankees in December of that year, he delivered 38 homers and 100 RBIs in his maiden season with New York.
Over the subsequent five seasons, Stanton missed 266 out of 708 games due to a slew of injuries, including strains of the right biceps, right knee, left hamstring (twice), and left quadriceps, alongside right ankle inflammation and left Achilles tendinitis.