Yankees
Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is 4-for-45 with no homers, one RBI and 20 strikeouts in his last 13 games.AP

Giancarlo Stanton, a former MVP, signed a mega 13-year $325 million contract with Miami Marlins in 2014. However, shortly after the 2017 MVP season, he was traded to the New York Yankees. In the past six years with the Yanks, Big G has hit .248 with 129 home runs and 344 RBIs. However, for the better part of those years, Stanton has remained on the sidelines due to injury concerns.

   

This season as well, Giancarlo Stanton faced an injury setback which ruled him out for six weeks. Moreover, even after return, the outfielder is restricting himself on the bases to remain immune to injury. Due to this approach, his effectiveness on the plate is taking a hit. Amid this, an MLB pundit dissected Stanton’s numbers and took a dig at him for being nothing short of a liability for the Yankees.

Giancarlo Stanton Clogs The Roster, Claims MLB Analyst Brian Kenny

Giancarlo Stanton
New York Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins Friday, April 14, 2023, in New York. The Twins won 4-3. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)(APMedia)

MLB Network’s Brian Kenny broke down all the things which are currently going wrong for the New York Yankees, and Giancarlo Stanton apparently topped the list. Kenny observed that Stanton’s WAR, along with many key stats, have gone down significantly since he arrived in the Bronx six years ago. He is no longer his MVP self. Moreover, as per Kenny, Big G is clogging the roster, bases, and the DH spot due to his high contact value. As a DH with such a high salary, he is locking up the space by being hurt for the better part of the season, which is not ideal for the Yanks. While Brian Kenny is mostly correct about his analysis, it’s important to consider the health factor.

It’s well versed by now how health has adversely affected Giancarlo Stanton’s MLB career. He has appeared in mere 130 games since 2018. And to be fair on Stanton’s part, he is doing everything he can to maintain the health standards. But the outfielder is clearly running out of luck. Having said that, the Bombers are not in a position to simply trade away the DH due to his high contract value. Hence, Stanton is staying until the end of the 2027 season in the Bronx. It’s now up to the management to take out the best in him. If Stanton managed to remain healthy for at least one complete season, he could definitely change the negative narrative.

Yankees Manager Addresses Health Concerns Around Giancarlo Stanton

Yankees
After basically jogging from second to home, the Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton was tagged out at the plate by Astros catcher Martin Maldonado during the third inning of Saturday’s game. AP

Meanwhile, Giancarlo Stanton raised alarm bells around his health the other day. He was caught at home while trying to steal a run from the second base. His demeanor sent waves of concern. Stanton ran slow and appeared to be restricting himself while reaching the home base. Amid raging concerns, manager Aaron Boone came forward to clear misunderstanding.

Aaron Boone refuted any cause for concern and confirmed that Giancarlo Stanton is fully healthy. He just happened to restrict himself to avoid any case of injury. It’s just his way of trying to maintain his health. Due to their past record, Big G is often concerned about picking up an unnecessary injury. Hence, at times when he feels he is prone to injury, the outfielder tends to restrict himself.