NEW YORK — As the Red Sox worked on sweeping the Yankees in Boston, Giancarlo Stanton spent his Sunday facing the Angels’ pitching staff at Yankee Stadium.

Well, sort of.

The designated hitter saw the Halos’ hurlers by way of the Yankees’ high-tech Trajekt machine, which can replicate the movements and velocities of opposing pitchers while displaying video of their mechanics. And so as the Yankees hoped to have Stanton back from tennis elbow injuries for their series against the Angels, he began preparing for LA’s arms.

Stanton then returned to the Yankees’ lineup for Monday’s series-opener against the Angels in the Bronx, batting fifth against the right-handed José Soriano in the slugger’s first big league game since the 2024 World Series.

The Yankees activated Stanton before Monday’s game and designated the rarely-used Pablo Reyes for assignment.

Stanton now adds firepower to the American League’s best offense, though the Yankees scored just four runs over the weekend in Boston. He is coming off three rehab games with Double-A Somerset in which he went 3 for 11 with one double, four RBIs, one walk and three strikeouts. He had not played in any other games since October, as his elbows forced him to miss all of spring training and the first few months of the regular season.

Those same elbows bothered Stanton for much of last season, but that didn’t stop him from terrorizing pitchers in October. He slashed .273/.339/.709 with seven homers and 16 RBIs in the playoffs, and his four long balls 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 RBIs as Aaron Judge and Juan Soto became the 1-2 punch in the Yankees’ lineup.

With 429 career home runs, Stanton leads all active players, and his performance in the 2024 postseason may have cemented his Hall of Fame case. However, he had the worst year of his career in 2023, has a long injury history — he also dealt with a calf issue in spring training — expects to play through pain in his elbows moving forward, and is now 35. On top of that, he’s coming off a long hiatus.

No longer a fielder, Stanton’s return will throw a welcomed wrinkle into the Yankees’ lineup construction.

Ben Rice has been the team’s primary DH in Stanton’s absence. The hard-hitting 26-year-old was slashing .227/.311/.460 with 12 home runs and 26 RBIs entering Monday.

Rice has also spent time at first base, but he’s a catcher by trade. The Yankees have only used him as a receiver late in blowout games so far in his big league career, but he’s impressed the organization — notably director of catching Tanner Swanson — with his daily work behind the scenes and limited in-game reps.

Last week, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Rice could get starts behind the plate once Stanton joins the team.

With Austin Wells entrenched as the Yankees’ starting catcher, J.C. Escarra has been the team’s backup catcher this season. If Rice shows that he can hold his own behind the plate, Escarra could become a useful trade chip, as he is an elite framer and has shown he can hit off the bench.

Stanton’s return could also impact Paul Goldschmidt at first, as well as the Yankees’ outfielders. They have four who are capable of starting, but there will be fewer DH days for Judge and Jasson Domínguez, the players who have filled that role the most behind Rice.

A non-roster invitee in spring training, the Bombers had hoped Reyes could provide versatility and a right-handed bat off the bench. Instead, the infielder/outfielder hit just .194/.242/.226 over 24 games and 34 plate appearances, and he struggled defensively despite playing four different positions.

Reyes also pitched an inning for the Yanks.

With Reyes no longer on the roster, it’s worth noting that backup infielder Oswald Peraza recently began working in the outfield. He has only played second, third and short as a pro.

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