When the New York Yankees sent down Jasson Dominguez on Thursday night, there were fans on social media who began to hope for Giancarlo Stanton.
After all, sending down one outfielder-type who can also DH could clear the runway for a veteran who fits that description, right?
While not impossible, it seems highly unlikely that that’s the case.
The Yankees seem much more probable to use the vacated roster space on a different player.
Is Giancarlo Stanton Coming Back This Season?
Headlines and reports in recent days have suggested that Stanton “could miss” the rest of the 2026 season, with MLB.com sharing that in late August.
Stanton hasn’t played since April 24, 2026, and it’s actually been an even worse road to recovery than you might think.
He first injured his right calf in April, taking him off the field for a while.
Then, as Stanton started to run to ensure he was healthy and could make a return midway through the season, he strained his left calf.
It’s that left calf strain, which has been termed “moderate,” that is now keeping Stanton off the field.
The Yankees put Stanton on the 60-day IL on August 24, but that was mostly a procedural move. Given that he’s already been out longer than 60 days, he could technically be activated whenever, as long as the Yankees had an open spot on the 40-man roster.
Nothing has been said in recent days to suggest a Stanton activation was imminent, though. At the moment, Stanton remains out of action.
Who’s Getting Called Up?
It seems much more likely that the Dominguez roster spot will go to Clarke Schmidt.
Schmidt made his most recent rehab appearance on Wednesday night for Double-A Somerset, going 1.0 inning, allowing one hit and striking out two while throwing 10 of his 12 pitches for strikes.
The plan is for Schmidt to pitch in relief whenever he returns, rather than his usual starting pitcher role.
“Based both on the limited time left on the schedule and the Yankees’ current needs, Schmidt is preparing to return in a relief role in 2026 with the expectation he’ll compete for a spot in the rotation in 2027,” MLB.com’s Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru wrote after Schmidt’s rehab appearance.
Schmidt has yet to pitch in the major leagues this season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery last summer.
He had a 2.85 ERA for the Yankees in 16 starts in 2024, then a 3.32 ERA in 14 starts in 2025.
When he’s been on the mound, Schmidt has been a high-quality pitcher in pinstripes. He appears like he’ll be back in time to impact the stretch run and October baseball, too.
Whether or not the Dominguez roster move was about Schmidt, it sure seems more likely that Schmidt gets back to MLB this season than Stanton.
Yankees’ Roster Move Unlikely to Actually Mean Giancarlo Stanton