CLEVELAND — On Tuesday, New York Yankees powerhouse Giancarlo Stanton joined his teammates for a batting practice session, marking a step in his ongoing recovery from elbow troubles. The Yankees were gearing up for their second game in a series against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field when Stanton participated in the outdoor practice.
Thus far, Stanton’s recovery activities have been out of the public eye, but this session was notable for being his first open-air batting practice since dealing with the injury. Yankees Manager Aaron Boone, in his pregame briefing, made no comments regarding Stanton’s condition or progress. However, after the Yankees fell to the Guardians in a narrow 3-2 defeat, Boone addressed the media but refrained from placing too much significance on Stanton’s outdoor batting practice.
“I don’t know how significant because he’s been doing a lot more than that (inside),” Boone remarked. “But certainly it’s good to see him out there in a (BP) group hitting. So I think all of us get a smile seeing that. But I don’t know if it’s a significant step because he’s been doing a lot more than that.”
Stanton’s elbow issues, specifically tendinitis in both elbows commonly known as “tennis elbow,” have been a hurdle since spring training. This affliction sidelined him, and Stanton himself mentioned that his elbow pain, which also troubled him last season, is more about how much discomfort he can endure.
Currently, there is no clear timeline set for when Stanton will rejoin the Yankees’ main lineup. Before Stanton can participate in major league games, he will likely need to complete a rehab assignment in the minor leagues to ensure readiness for the competitive level. Now in his eighth season with New York, Stanton boasts a total of 27 home runs alongside 72 runs batted in across 114 games last year.
Over the course of 15 seasons with the Yankees and the Miami Marlins, Stanton has racked up an impressive 429 home runs in his career.