Giancarlo Stanton is returning to game action.
The Yankees announced that the designated hitter will start a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Tuesday night. The reveal follows months of nondescript and uncertain updates on the slugger, who missed all of spring training due to tennis elbows.
Stanton, who also had a calf issue in the spring, has been hitting off high-velocity machines and taking live at-bats. He has not played in a game since the 2024 postseason, a period that saw him go scorched earth on opponents as he won ALCS MVP honors and the Yankees advanced to the World Series. Stanton’s elbows were barking then as well; they bothered him throughout much of last season.
Despite such a long hiatus, Stanton’s rehab assignment is not expected to last long. That’s been a theme throughout the veteran’s oft-injured Yankees tenure.
The question is what Stanton will look like when he comes back, as the 35-year-old expects to play through continued pain and will require maintenance on his elbows.
While Stanton enjoyed a somewhat resurgent season in 2024, hitting .233/.298/.475 with 27 homers and 72 RBI before an explosive October, he slashed just .202/.286/.442 from 2022-2023.
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.
Stanton’s return would presumably lead to more defensive reps for Rice, who has only logged 72.2 innings in the field this season.
