New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Giancarlo Stanton could be ready to return shortly after the All-Star break without a minor league rehab assignment, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
Giancarlo Stanton went on the injured list on June 23, the day after he hurt his hamstring and had to leave the Yankees' 8-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on June 22. The Yankees' offense has struggled mightily since then, as Stanton was in the middle of a resurgent season and was a presence behind Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in the lineup.
With Aaron Judge and Juan Soto hitting second and third in the Yankees' lineup, they often both get walked, leaving many RBI opportunities for the hitters coming up after them. Stanton capitalized on those opportunities a lot this season before he got hurt. That led them to being one of the best offenses for the first few of months of the season as well.
Stanton has played in 69 games so far this season, and is batting .246 with a .302 on-base percentage, .795 OPS and 18 home runs, according to FanGraphs. That is good for a 124 wRC+, indicating that he is 24 percent above league-average when it comes to hitting. It is not quite to his peak form, but Stanton was having a rebound season after losing some weight and making adjustments this offseason.
When it comes to Stanton's advanced metrics, he is great in many important aspects. His expected slugging percentage, average exit velocity, bat speed, barrel rate and hard-hit rate are in the 95th percentile, according to Baseball Savant. His xwOBA, which is a predictive stat, is in the 84th percentile as well, which is a good sign that his performance is sustainable.
Hopefully, Stanton does not take too long to adjust to seeing major league pitching again. Given that he might not need a rehab assignment, it could take him some time to adjust, and it could be ugly for the early days in his return. The best case scenario is that Stanton's hamstring does not hamper him in his return and he eventually gets locked back in the way he was before he got hurt.
Yankees' trade deadline approach
The Yankees have been in a huge slump this past month or so, and a lot of that has to due with the performance of the starting rotation, specifically Luis Gil and Carlos Rodon. The rotation does seem set, and it is unlikely that Brian Cashman will target starting pitching, given the holes in the infield and in the bullpen.
The performances of DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres and Anthony Rizzo before his injury left a lot to be desired. Ben Rice has filled in great for Rizzo, and could play himself into being the permanent first baseman. It seems likely that the Yankees will add someone who could play either second or third base, preferably with the versatility to play both positions.
When it comes to the bullpen, New York needs a lefty arm or two, as well as pitchers who can get strikeouts at a good rate.
Stanton, along with Clarke Schmidt's eventual return should help, but the Yankees need some reinforcements at the deadline.
