The New York Yankees had a terrible season in 2023 with the bat. On top of that, the long Injured List was a major concern for the upcoming season as well. Top prospects to veteran top players saw their names on the list at least once. Moreover, key players like Anthony Rizzo, Jasson Dominguez, and Giancarlo Stanton are very questionable for the 2024 season. These players, especially Stanton, have been very injury-prone. Even Brian Cashman mentioned a few weeks ago that they will support Giancarlo Stanton 100%. But the Yankees know how fragile the designated hitter is and can be.
However, Stanton back in Kansas City at the end of the 2023 season mentioned that he will do everything in his power to get ready for the 2024 season in the offseason. Albeit, there’s no reason to doubt his work ethic, Cashman feels sustaining injuries has become a part of his game. Lately, a former Boston Red Sox closer made fun of Stanton getting slimmer this offseason.
Jonathan Papelbon Taunted Giancarlo Stanton On Social Media
In recent images, Giancarlo Stanton does look slimmer than before. Recently, former closer Papelbon took to social media to bet on how many home runs Stanton will hit in 2024. Moreover, he jokingly added the hashtag “Easy Money.” The former Red Sox closer may have a point as Stanton had a horrible 2023 season with .695 OPS, it was his career low average. On top of that, he just batted .191. Easily the 2023 season falls under the category of Stanton’s worst. Moreover, Greg Joyce of The New York Post reported Big G will come with a leaner and lighter shape for the 2024 season.
Even the Yankees manager told The Post that it is really important for the designated hitter to be in the ideal shape that would help him next season. Anyway, besides Giancarlo Stanton, Papelbon made fun of another Yankees outfielder, the new joiner Alex Verdugo. Actually, Papelbon tried to defend Red Sox manager Alex Cora as Verdugo revealed some issues he faced with him. Anyway, neither Giancarlo Stanton nor Alex Verdugo replied to the taunts of the former Red Sox closer.
Why Yankees Suffered So Much Last Season?
In fact, the Pinstripes were the second-worst team in terms of batting average. They were only slightly better than the Oakland Athletics. This terrible hitting performance of the Bronx Bombers last season resulted in failing to make the postseason. They could not qualify for the next phase after the regular season for the first time since 2016. Moreover, the Pinstripes needed a star power in their outfield to boost their offense.
The captain was the 2022 AL MVP for breaking the Homer record in the AL. But even then, the hitting lineup was not strong enough. There were a number of injury concerns that messed up their season. But what hurt the Yankees the most was the injury to Aaron Judge. Later, the captain stayed out for a couple of months with his weak toe. When he returned, the Yankees had very little hope to make the postseason.
