Giancarlo Stanton is swinging again but still not quite ready to swing back into the Yankees’ lineup.
The 34-year-old slugger took outdoor batting practice Tuesday evening for the first time since his spring training shutdown with bilateral tennis elbow. While he’s been hitting behind closed doors for weeks — mostly indoors with soft rubber balls from the team’s Trajekt machine — this was his first step into the pregame batting cage in 2025.
“Felt good,” Stanton told Max Goodman of NJ.com. “They’re getting better,” Stanton added of his ailing elbows, though there’s still no timetable for a return. He hasn’t begun a rehab assignment, and with all of spring lost, it’s likely he’ll need extended minor league game action before rejoining the Yankees lineup.
While Stanton’s comeback may not feel as distant, it will still be very expensive. Stanton is still owed $98 million through 2027, part of a massive 13-year, $325 million deal originally signed with the Miami Marlins. Given that Stanton only contributed 24 home runs and a .202 average in 2024 before this year’s shutdown, the Yankees now view that contract as a sunk cost.
In Stanton’s absence, rookie Ben Rice has quietly picked up the slack. The lefty-hitting first baseman has been one of the few bright spots in the Yankees’ offense, hitting .276 with 5 home runs, 17 RBIs, and a .831 OPS through 25 games. His production has helped stabilize a lineup that’s lacked thunder from the DH spot since Stanton went down — as well as the departure of Juan Soto to the rival New York Mets in free agency.
Stanton, for his part, is calling this stretch his “makeshift spring training,” trying to build a daily rhythm. “Pop out here, get a feel,” he said, downplaying the day’s significance.
Still, for a player on year seven of a mega-deal that keeps aging poorly, every step forward matters.
Yankees’ Stanton Sighting Sparks “Makeshift Spring,” But Rehab Timeline Remains a Mystery