The New York Yankees reinstated three players from the injured list ahead of their upcoming series versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. New York reinstated OF/DH Giancarlo Stanton, 3B Josh Donaldson, and RP Tommy Kahnle from the injured list, with Donaldson and Stanton returning from the 10-day IL and Kahnle returning from the 60-day IL, per the Yankees' Twitter. Additionally, SP Carlos Rodon was transferred to the 60-day IL as he continues to deal with injury concerns.
Stanton's return will draw the most attention. There was a chance that he was going to be activated ahead of the Yankees-Dodgers series in Los Angeles, but nothing was certain until now. His presence in the lineup will be pivotal for the Yankees. Donaldson and Kahnle's returns shouldn't be overlooked either.
Let's take a look at each of these three players ahead of the Yankees-Dodgers series.
Giancarlo Stanton: A true Yankees' star
Aaron Judge is the best player on the Yankees, and arguably in all of baseball. Other than Judge, New York doesn't feature another true superstar position player.
Anthony Rizzo has been impressive in 2023 and is a former All-Star. DJ LeMahieu was once regarded as one of the better infielders in the game. Even the aforementioned Donaldson is a former MVP. Stanton, though, is still a superstar.
Stanton is a five-time All-Star and previous MVP winner. Injuries have unfortunately impacted him over the years. He made the All-Star team in 2022, but was ultimately limited to only 110 games played. In 2023, Stanton has appeared in just 13 games.
If he can manage to stay on the field moving forward, the Yankees will have a pair of star sluggers in their lineup between Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge.
Is Josh Donaldson still good?
Josh Donaldson's performance for the Yankees since arriving in New York in 2022 has been underwhelming to say the least. He slashed just .222/.308/.374 with a .682 OPS and 15 home runs last season. In 2023, Donaldson has hit only .125 with a .489 OPS across five games.
So is there reason to believe Donaldson can still be a productive player?
His numbers weren't terrific in 2021. Donaldson, who was with the Minnesota Twins at the time, hit .247 with an .827 OPS and 26 home runs. However, those numbers aren't bad either. If he can play at that level, the Yankees would benefit. He likely isn't going to return to his 2015 MVP-form, when he crushed 41 home runs and posted a superb .939 OPS.
Believe it or not though, Donaldson is still a capable ball player. It will be interesting to see how he fares with the Yankees upon his return from injury.
Tommy Kahnle
Tommy Kahnle, a former Dodgers reliever, features intriguing upside. His career ERA of 3.78 is respectable, and he posted a solid 3.67 ERA back in 2019 with the Yankees. Since the '19 campaign though, Kahnle has appeared in just 14 total games.
He may struggle upon his initial comeback from injury. That is to be expected given how little he's pitched over the years. However, he is a talented pitcher. Kahnle could end up being an X-Factor of sorts for the Yankees in the bullpen.
Yankees-Dodgers series
The Yankees-Dodgers series is going to be exciting. In a battle between two of baseball's biggest markets, there will be no shortage of star power on the field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
The Yankees have to feel confident heading into the series with Stanton, Donaldson, and Kahnle back on the active roster.
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