Giancarlo Stanton was thrown out at home plate to end the third inning during Saturday's game between the New York Yankees and Houston Astros. There's nothing extraordinary about a player failing to score from second base on a single, but the way that Giancarlo Stanton ran the bases was unusual. To say that the Yankees' slugger was “running” would be inaccurate. Stanton had the pace of someone taking a crisp morning jog, not that of a professional baseball player looking to score the lead run.

The play didn't come back to haunt the Yankees—they beat the Astros 3-1. It didn't seem to be a simple lack of hustle from Stanton. The outfielder has been plagued by leg injuries throughout his Yankees career, and it appears that they might've taken their toll on his ability to get around the bases.

“G's good,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told YES Network's Meredith Marakovits when asked if Stanton is healthy. “I just didn't think (he) got a great round on third and got a little careful over there. Ball hit, two outs, in the gap like that, I think you gotta take your chances.”

Stanton missed 43 games in the first half of the 2023 season because of a hamstring injury. Calf, quad and hamstring injuries sidelined Stanton in parts of the previous three seasons.

Was Stanton just being cautious or was he running at his maximum speed?

“I'd have to look at it,” Boone said. “Sometimes if he gets going in the right direction, he's got I think more than that. Sometimes if it's not an efficient route, he's gonna protect a little bit. But yeah, he's good. He's healthy. Just make sure he doesn't do something that throws him off.”

Stanton entered the game in the midst of a power surge, having hit a home run in three straight games. The Yankees could ill-afford to lose a hot-hitting Stanton from the middle of their lineup.