Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton pushes back against ‘narrative’: ‘Sob stories don’t play’

ARLINGTON, Texas — After blowing a 3-0 lead Monday, the Yankees were back on top when Giancarlo Stanton unleashed one of those violent swings that we often see from him, ones that lead to many of the hardest-hit balls in the majors.

Looking vintage, Stanton barreled up a fastball from Rangers reliever Jon Gray to launch one of the most impressive homers anyone will hit anywhere this season. This was a low liner to dead center that was 115 mph off the bat and kept going until it was over the wall for a 427-foot homer.

Stanton’s 439th career homer, which is tied with Paul Konerko for 45th all-time, was his 10th in 36 games this season and ninth in his last 20.

The Yankees held the lead that Stanton gave them until the ninth inning, then they lost 8-5 in 10 on a three-run, walk-off homer by Josh Jung.

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With the Yankees third in the American League East and tied for second in the AL wild-card standings due to almost two months of off-and-on struggles, they’re getting their savior back on Tuesday when Aaron Judge comes off the injured list after missing 10 games with a right flexor tendon strain.

This great news comes with a damper:

Stanton will be on the bench at least Tuesday and Wednesday because Judge can only DH for the time being. His elbow is still healing, and before he went on the IL, his elbow hurt and his throws had little velocity on them.

The way the Yankees have been pitching, fielding and running the bases, they need Judge and Stanton to bring lots of offense.

Stanton has.

He’s been one of the Yankees’ most consistent and most productive hitters since his season finally began on June 16. Stanton’s .270 batting average is a personal high since his .273 in 2022 and .288 in 2018.

It’s also probably a pleasant surprise to a lot of Yankees fans that Stanton has made it through almost two months healthy.

This stretch with Stanton staying on the field, of course, has occurred right after he missed the first 70 games of the season rehabbing his tennis elbow in both arms. He played through this for most of last season, often in excruciating pain that was a team secret until this spring.

It’s believed that Stanton still is dealing with a lot of elbow pain, which he won’t acknowledge because, like Judge, he absolutely will not make excuses.

And now with Judge coming back as a DH, Stanton will return to the outfield for the first time since 2023 or be a bench player for a while.

Stanton won’t start on Tuesday or Wednesday because the Yankees don’t want him playing outfield at Globe Life Field, which has a very big outfield and a turf surface.

At 35, and with numerous injuries in his past, Stanton is a very slow runner and doesn’t cover a lot of ground. Also, his arm strength probably isn’t too good nowadays because his elbows aren’t healed, and he’s done very little throwing for two years.

Running around on turf probably wouldn’t be good on the ole’ knees, either.

As for this weekend and early next week when the Yankees are home for six games against the Astros and Cubs, Stanton could be manning the small right field at Yankee Stadium.

“We’ll see,” manager Aaron Boone said before Monday’s game.

Sitting those games won’t fly with Stanton.

He’s mostly been a DH since 2020, but he’s played 1,124 games of outfield as a big leaguer for the Marlins and Yankees. He’ll argue that he was a pretty solid outfielder when he was in his prime, too.

Now, Stanton wants to play right field for however long it takes Judge to return to right, and he thinks he’ll be fine out there.

Stanton made that very clear during an entertaining interview with NJ Advance Media the other day:

Have you spent much time working out in the outfield since Judge went on the IL?

Stanton: “Oh, no! Not the outfield stuff! Still?

It’s a story. Judge is coming back Tuesday and might only DH for a few weeks, maybe longer. So you could be out in right field, if you’re able.

Stanton: Yes, and I’ve played outfield to people’s surprise.

But can you throw?

Stanton: That’s a good narrative. That’s a good question.

Can you do it on a regular basis?

Stanton: Um … I haven’t tried it. The work I’ve done out there has been fine. It’s going to work itself out. It’s obviously what has to be done with the situation. Am I going to be great? Am I going to make crazy plays? Am I going to throw guys out? I’ll be solid, and that’s what we need.

You won over a lot of Yankees fans hitting all those postseason home runs over the years and probably even more so this year when everyone found out you did it again last October while dealing with so much pain in your elbows.

Stanton: At the end of the day, it’s not about what I’m going through. It’s about getting it done. The sob stories don’t play. It’s what can you achieve and get done with whatever cards you’re dealt. That’s how this city is built and that’s what you do for this city. That’s what you’re supposed to do. No excuses because there are a lot of hardships everywhere else. That’s the point. The back of your baseball card doesn’t say, ‘Oh, but …” It says what you do.

Have you been throwing?

Stanton: Yeah,

Is it painful?

Stanton: I’ve been throwing.

So it’s painful.

Stanton: I didn’t say that.

You didn’t say it’s not hurting. Is the pain excruciating like it was last year?

Stanton: I’m (throwing) on target. I have good timing. It’s a line-drive (throw). That’s all that matters. You can see how the throws are, and it doesn’t matter if they hurt or they don’t.

Can you playing outfield further damage your elbows to where you might not be able to play? Or is this going to just be pain management until you get them surgically repaired, if you decide to do that after the season?

Stanton: Well, they’ve been what they’ve been for a year and a half now. So …

Have you been working out in right and left field?

Stanton: Just right.

As far as getting reads and jumps on flyballs, does that come back to you right away because you’ve done it so much over the years, or do you feel rusty out there?

Stanton: I have to get back out there seeing it, but I should be all right.”