Stanton's Got Bad Elbows, Now Opening Day Status Is In Jeopardy!

It’s only Spring Training and Giancarlo Stanton is in mid-season form….for injuries that is. This isn’t what we want to hear but, both of Stanton’s elbows are sore, read more HERE. The countdown to Opening Day has started….and we don’t know when we will see Stanton.

So now we play the waiting game because when Aaron Boone was asked about Stanton’s availability for Opening Day he said it was “tough to say. I’m not going to put any timeline on it,” Boone said. “We’re going to be smart with it and listen to it. It’s just something we don’t want to rush. If we can get to a really good spot – and know we’re probably going to have to deal with some maintenance on it throughout the year. But don’t want to force anything too early.”

So the plan so far, is for Stanton to continue to get treatment this week but no baseball activities. Treatment could mean anything to this training and medical staff. After all, they completely missed Aaron Judge and his fractured ribs years ago so it is hard to have any confidence in their abilities. I am curious to see exactly what “treatment” Stanton will be receiving since it sounds like there are no procedures or injections (ie cortisone) planned. 

Boone also said that as impressive as his October play was, he was dealing with this same issue at the time. So here we are three and a half months later and Stanton is still suffering. An entire offseason of rest and he’s not ready to go. We already expect Stanton will be bit by the injury bug at some point and even though he has extensive history with lower body ailments, this is only going to be more challenging to manage as the season goes on. This isn’t good.

At this point, a cortisone shot is not going to save Stanton. That’s more of a short term fix, it’s not something that will help him get through a full season. The Yankees need a real plan, and to find a way to get ahead of this before it derails the entire season. Now that Juan Soto is gone, Boone will likely count on Stanton to bat in the three spot and provide protection behind Judge. It’s a gamble and obviously a riskier one that the Yankees haven’t thought through.

A lingering issue form 2024 is not the way to start a season. It’s even worse when the Yankees are looking to get back to a World Series and hopefully win it this time. The roster may be stronger on paper, but that won’t matter if the Yankees put all of their eggs in Stanton’s basket and he’s not good to go.

I’m crossing more than just my fingers for good luck at this point……