Giancarlo Stanton unsure when he'll join Yankees, doesn't rule out 2025 debut vs. Red Sox

Gary Phillips, New York Daily News on Jun 10, 2025

Published in Baseball

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BRIDGEWATER, N.J. – As the New York Yankees prepared for their series opener in Kansas City on Tuesday, Giancarlo Stanton readied for a game over 1,100 miles away.

The designated hitter, who missed all of spring training due to tennis elbow injuries, began a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset. The Patriots had him batting second against the Portland Sea Dogs, Boston’s Double-A affiliate, at TD Bank Ballpark.

“Ready to rock,” Stanton said after taking batting practice with a few of the Yankees’ top prospects, including George Lombard Jr., Spencer Jones and Rafael Flores. “It’s been a long time coming, so it’s good to get rolling.”

Stanton, playing in his first game since the 2024 World Series, ended up going 2 for 3 with three RBI and a walk. Both his hits were well-struck singles, with the first flying over the head of Portland’s center fielder at 111.4 mph in the fifth inning. That knock plated two before Stanton drove in another runner in the seventh inning.

Stanton, 35 and no longer a fielder, wasn’t sure about his rehab plans beyond Tuesday, but he’d like to play in back-to-back games before his assignment ends.

In Kansas City, Aaron Boone said that Stanton is also expected to play on Wednesday, per The Bergen Record’s Pete Caldera. The Yankees will then discuss plans for the weekend on Thursday.

“I just gotta get some real at-bats in a game, and then let me figure it out,” said Stanton, who also dealt with a calf issue in the spring. “But this isn’t where I want to be, trust me.

“This will tell me how close I am. There’s no simulating a major league game, but if you want to get as close as you can, you get to a minor league game.”

Asked if he could join the Yankees for their upcoming weekend series in Boston, the oft-injured Stanton replied, “I don’t know. I’m not sure.”

Stanton spent much of the past two weeks in Tampa, Fla., where he was able to face pitchers and settle into a routine at the Yankees’ player development complex.

He’s also been hitting off high-velocity Trajekt machines for some time, but that’s not the same as stepping into a real batter’s box.

“It’s a really good help timing-wise and movement-wise, but there’s that next step where you don’t know what’s coming,” Stanton said. “You gotta sit down. You gotta wait. You don’t know exactly when you’re gonna be up. You can imagine a game situation, but you’re not actually there.”

The last time fans saw Stanton on a field, he was terrorizing the Yankees’ postseason opponents as they advanced to the World Series last October.

The slugger, who leads active players with 429 career homers, slashed .273/.339/.709 with seven longballs and 16 RBI in the playoffs. His four homers in the ALCS earned him MVP honors for the series.

Prior to that, Stanton enjoyed a somewhat resurgent regular season, hitting .233/.298/.475 with 27 homers and 72 RBI as Aaron Judge and Juan Soto took centerstage.

Stanton’s 2024 success followed two disappointing campaigns and came in spite of his elbows, which bothered him for most of last season. He expects to play through pain moving forward, and his elbows will require treatment.

Stanton didn’t detail what maintenance will look like, only saying he’ll have to see how he feels when he wakes up each morning.

“I’ll just figure it out as it goes,” Stanton said. He’s previously stated that if he’s on the field, he’s good to go.

With Stanton sidelined, Ben Rice has been the Yankees’ primary DH this season. The sophomore, who can also play first and catch, has posted Stantonian exit velocities while hitting .241/.327/.497 with 12 homers and 25 RBI over 56 games.

The 26-year-old’s performance has certainly impressed Stanton.

“It’s been amazing to watch. Just crushing the ball. Hitting it hard, even if they’re hard outs,” he said. “It’s been cool to see.”

Stanton’s return will presumably lead to more defensive reps for Rice, who has only logged 72 2/3 innings in the field this season. However, it remains to be seen exactly when the Yankees will have to make room for their future Hall of Famer.

“I haven’t been in a game, so we want to be two-thirds of the way in,” Stanton noted before Tuesday’s contest when asked to compare his assignment to spring training. “That’s the mindset. Then we’ll go from there.”

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