Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton won't return to outfield until he's ready, and the plan is to go slow

New York Times

5 days ago

NEW YORK — Whether the oft-injured Giancarlo Stanton, who hasn't played the outfield in nearly two years, appears on defense for the New York Yankees anytime soon will depend largely on one thing:
Does he think he can do it?
'I really want him to communicate with me how he feels because I know at this point in his career, for as long as he's played the game, he's going to know how he feels on a day-to-day basis,' outfield coordinator and third base coach Luis Rojas said before Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium.
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The Yankees are hoping to prepare Stanton for the possibility that he plays some outfield to keep his bat in the lineup when Aaron Judge (right flexor tendon strain) returns from the injured list initially as a designated hitter while he ramps up his throwing program.
Manager Aaron Boone said the Yankees still believe it's possible that Judge will be able to come off the IL as soon as the 10-day period ends. On Tuesday, Judge did light work in the batting cage for the first time since going on the IL, Boone said.
On Monday, Stanton began his first steps toward possibly returning to the outfield, taking ground balls in right field from Rojas and throwing them lightly to second base. Stanton hasn't been anything other than a DH since Sept. 14, 2023.
Giancarlo Stanton light work in RF pic.twitter.com/R3HM7wx9tw
— Brendan Kuty 🧟‍♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) July 28, 2025
On Saturday, Stanton said that he'll 'be ready when needed.'
When will that be? It's unclear. Stanton didn't work out in the outfield Tuesday. Rojas said the plan was to go slow with Stanton, who missed the first 70 games of the year with tennis elbow in both of his elbows. Stanton also runs the bases slowly and gingerly, as if he's trying not to hurt himself.
'You have to,' Rojas said. 'He's already been through an injury this year. He's a guy who knows his body very well.'
Stanton hasn't rated as an above-average right fielder in terms of Outs Above Average since 2018, his first year with the Yankees, according to Baseball Savant.
'I think it's something that he's not going to be out there embarrassing himself or costing the team anything,' Rojas said. 'I know he's going to be in good shape to make plays. But progressively, we don't have a timeline for when he's going to say, 'This is it. I'm ready.' I just really trust his feel right now.'
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Rojas added that while catcher/first baseman/DH Ben Rice isn't being discussed as a possible option in right field, the idea came up briefly in April. Rice, 26, has never played outfield in a professional game, but he would occasionally take fly balls when he was with Double-A Somerset, which at the time had a glut of catchers.
'Jokingly we talked about it at the beginning of the season,' Rojas said, 'knowing that Stanton was going to come back (off the injured list). Everyone was curious about what was going to happen because Giancarlo was on his way, and this kid (Rice) rakes. You already have two catchers. So, what's going to happen?'
Rice never ended up working out in the outfield, but Rojas didn't dismiss the idea at some point.
'Can he do it?' Rojas said. 'We're talking about a big-league player who isn't necessarily a slow guy. He's got some ability. There's some speed in him. Not bursting speed, but speed that can hold up in right field, for example. He could, but let's see what the decision is for our manager or the higher ups, or how the team is going to shape up in a couple days. But right now, the plan is Giancarlo, and like I said, he's just taking it day to day right now.'