Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton Ready for Drastic Change Once Aaron Judge Returns
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The New York Yankees are in the midst of a brutal skid in the standings and drastic times might call for some drastic measures.
After opening the year as the most dominant team in the American League, the Yankees have gone 18-28 since mid-June and now sit in third place in the division, 5 1/2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays and three games behind the Boston Red Sox.
Luckily for New York, the team expects franchise slugger Aaron Judge to return to the lineup as a designated hitter on Tuesday. But with Judge in that role, the Yankees would have to bench one of their most consistent hitters in Giancarlo Stanton unless he makes a surprising return to the outfield for the first time in two years, despite now having tennis elbow in both arms.
Though the Yankees wouldn't commit to moving Stanton into a defensive role, the slugger sounds as if he is expecting the move.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - AUGUST 02: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees looks on during a game against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on August 02, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Rich...
MIAMI, FLORIDA - AUGUST 02: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees looks on during a game against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on August 02, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by) More
Storry/Getty
"Sitting those games won't fly for Stanton," Randy Miller wrote for NJ.com. "Now, Stanton wants to play right field for however long it takes Judge to return to right, and he thinks he'll be fine out there."
Stanton told Miller that he has been throwing in preparation for an outfield move but he wouldn't clarify the level of pain that it's causing him.
"I'm (throwing) on target. I have good timing. It's a line-drive (throw). That's all that matters," Stanton said, per Miller. "I have to get back out there seeing it, but I should be all right."
Stanton has slashed .270/.343/.532 with 10 homers since returning to the Yankees' lineup, so the team can hardly afford losing his bat as it looks to right the ship. At the same time, it can't afford more defensive miscues, and it isn't clear if Stanton can really handle a defensive role, pain tolerance notwithstanding.
It appears the Yankees still have some tough decisions to make, even with Judge returning. But as far as Stanton's concerned, it's time for a drastic move so that both sluggers can contribute to a turnaround.
More MLB: MLB Rumors: Phillies Predicted To Cut Ties With 11-Year Veteran
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Boston Globe
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- Boston Globe
Here in 2025, and after four World Series titles, it's time to name our All-Quarter-Century Red Sox team
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The squad: Catcher: Jason Varitek Who else? The stoic captain of the 2004 and 2007 champs is the only player ever to catch four no-hitters, and few Red Sox have ever had a higher approval rating. From 2000 until his retirement after the 2011 season, he provided 22.3 Wins Above Replacement, more than three times the Red Sox' second-most productive catcher of this century, Christian Vazquez (6.9 WAR). Also, Varitek is the all-time leader in the wildly undervalued sabermetric stat MARETM — Making A-Rod Eat The Mitt. Advertisement Catcher Jason Varitek had a lot of memorable moments with the Red Sox, but none more memorable than when he got into Yankees star Alex Rodriguez's face. Barry Chin/The Boston Globe First base: Kevin Youkilis A.k.a. the Greek God of Walks, or, more colloquially, YOOOOOOOOOOUK! He spent plenty of time at both infield corners for the Red Sox during his 2004-12 run, playing 464 games at third base and 613 at first. 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Advertisement Starting pitcher: Pedro Martinez As we said in the '80s: No duh. His 2000 season stands as one of the greatest in baseball history: 18 wins, 6 losses, a 1.74 ERA (in the juiced-hitter era, when the league average was 4.91), 284 strikeouts in 217 innings, and 11.7 WAR, the most by a starting pitcher this century. Following the greatest pitcher I've ever seen in the rotation: Jon Lester (29.9 WAR), Josh Beckett (22.3), Curt Schilling (17.7), and Chris Sale (17.0). Closer: Keith Foulke Jonathan Papelbon actually has the most WAR among Sox closers since 2000, and he closed out the 2007 World Series with style. But Foulke got many of the most tense and toughest outs in Red Sox history during the 2004 postseason. He's the choice. And I'm keeping Koji Uehara on this roster to get it to 25 players, and because he induced the least stress of any closer the Red Sox have ever had. Keith Foulke closed out the Curse-breaking 2004 World Series for the Red Sox. Jim Davis/Globe Staff Others to fill out our 25-man roster: Lefthanded setup man: Hideki Okajima. Righthanded setup man: Mike Timlin. Utilityman: Brock Holt. Player you want fielding the last out of a playoff series: Pokey Reese. Backup outfielder: Gabe Kapler. Pinch runner: Dave Roberts. Stole a base of some magnitude once, I've been told. Designated inspirational speechmaker: Kevin Millar, for the Don't Let Us Win Tonight schtick that proved prescient, and then legendary. Designated series-clinching pitcher and team goof: Derek Lowe. Pitcher who always has his spikes on just in case: Tim Wakefield. Because there's no point in having this team without Wake. Advertisement Chad Finn can be reached at
NBC Sports
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New York Post
8 hours ago
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