Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton might not be ready for Opening Day because of tendinitis in elbows: 'Pain was very high'
Giancarlo Stanton might not be ready for Opening Day.
The New York Yankees slugger and reigning ALCS MVP has been dealing with tendinitis in both elbows that leaves his status for the start of the 2025 season in doubt.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed Stanton's status to reporters Sunday at the team's spring training site in Tampa, Florida.
Per Boone, Stanton has been dealing with the injuries since last season, and they worsened after the All-Star break.
“Giancarlo’s a little behind just dealing with some elbow stuff that he dealt with last year — actually both elbows kind of really akin to tennis elbow,” Boone said, per the Associated Press. “This is something that if we’re full bore in we’d be grinding away probably, but just want to make sure we give it the proper time and just give ourselves to be the best position throughout the year.”
Stanton elaborated on his injuries Monday, telling reporters that he hasn't swung a bat in three or four weeks and that he felt pain for most of last year.
“The pain was very high in general,” Stanton said, per AP. “Tennis elbow or however they call it is tears in your tendon, so it’s not when did it feel good — when did it feel bad? There’s always the pain level there, and you got to deal with that. So, yeah, it’s just the wisest point to give time right now.”
Stanton declined to project whether he'd be ready for New York's season opener on March 27 against the Milwaukee Brewers. He said surgery is not necessary as of now, but that could surface as an option if he ends up "overdoing it."
Boone said Stanton has continued to deal with the issue throughout the winter, and it prompted him to shut down his offseason workouts. The plan moving forward is to "slow play" Stanton in spring training. Boone declined to put a timeline on Stanton's availability and predicted that the issue will linger throughout the season.
“I’m not going to put any timeline on it," he said. "We’re just going to be smart with it and kind of listen to it a little bit. I’m expecting him to be OK. It’s just a matter of when we’re going to start really rolling it out to feel like — give us the best chance to get as much of him as we can.”
Stanton, 35, is a five-time All-Star and former AL MVP. In 114 games as a designated hitter last season, he slashed .233/.298/.475 with 27 home runs and 72 RBI. He was a hero of New York's postseason run to the World Series, in which the Yankees lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Stanton slashed .273/.339/.709 with seven home runs and 16 RBI in 14 postseason games against the Royals, Guardians and Dodgers. He tallied four home runs and seven RBI in five games against the Guardians en route to ALCS MVP honors, then hit two home runs in the World Series.
With Juan Soto's departure to the Mets, Stanton's presence in the lineup will carry added weight in 2025. For now, the Yankees aren't taking chances with his health.
