The Yankees' frustrating summer swoon just got even worse.
Why Isn’t the Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton Playing Against the Rangers? originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Although the New York Yankees’ lineup on Tuesday night features Aaron Judge, it lacks Giancarlo Stanton.
Thankfully for the Yankees, Stanton hasn’t aggravated the elbow injuries that cost him the season’s first 70 games. However, the Yankees benched their surging slugger because they needed to give Stanton’s DH spot to Judge, who is returning from his own elbow injury.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone didn’t want to use Stanton, who has a history of lower-body and soft-tissue injuries, in the outfield at Globe Life Field, given its size and turf. Stanton hasn’t played the outfield since 2023, though he’s publicly said he will do so if needed.
Yankees fans should plan on seeing Stanton in the outfield soon, assuming that he stays healthy. The free-falling Yankees cannot afford to intentionally have an everyday lineup lacking Judge and Stanton, especially as they face missing the postseason for the second time in three years.
Stanton has been one of the Yankees’ few bright spots of late, batting .270 with 10 homers, 28 RBIs, and a .875 OPS since coming back from the IL in late June. He’s already tallied 1.0 bWAR after posting a cumulative 0.7 bWAR from 2022-24.
The 60-53 Yankees trail the first-place Toronto Blue Jays by 5 1/2 games at publication. Although the Yankees and Seattle Mariners are tied for the AL’s second Wild Card spot, they only have a 1 1/2 game lead over the Rangers.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
