The New York Yankees have been healthy throughout spring training, not picking up any significant new injuries. Their pitching depth will be tested early, but another run at their 27th championship should start on the right foot. But Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton says the elbow injury that cost him time last year is chronic, and he can't do basic things in his day-to-day life because of it. He spoke with NJ.com's Randy Miller about the injury.
“That’ll never be the case. Not while I’m in this line of work,” Stanton told Miller when asked if he would ever be 100%. “You have your good days and bad days, just like your mood and everything. I can’t open a bottle. I can’t open a bag of chips … a bag of anything. That’s the way it is.”
The idea of Giancarlo Stanton, a home-run slugger who is larger than life, struggling to open a bag of barbecue chips, is a funny sight. But it has not stopped him from slugging homers in the past two seasons for the Yankees. Stanton hit 24 homers in 77 regular-season games last year, with many of those 85 games missed due to the elbow injury.
The Yankees would not have made the 2024 World Series if not for Stanton's 1.048 OPS in the postseason that year. He won ALCS MVP due to his incredible performance against the Guardians, and was great in the World Series as well. Stanton staying healthy, as relative as that may be, is key to any chance New York has to win a championship.
Stanton has just two years remaining on the monster contract he signed with the Miami Marlins back in 2015. His Yankee tenure has been a rollercoaster, but managing his injuries has been successful in each of the last two years. Can they hold it together again to unleash Stanton in the postseason? Or will the elbow injuries catch up to him?
