Giancarlo Stanton is no longer in Tampa.
The designated hitter, who reported to Yankees camp shut down with two tennis elbows, retuned to New York on Monday for testing and an appointment with team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad, according to multiple reports. NJ.com first noted Stanton’s departure, though it’s unclear if the visit is related to Stanton’s elbows.
On Sunday, Aaron Boone was asked for an update on Stanton. He only mentioned that the former MVP was getting treatment and that there was “nothing imminent” as far as the slugger resuming baseball activities, though he’s done some light agility work.
Stanton’s availability for Opening Day has been in doubt since he reported to camp even though he played through his elbow pain for most of last season and throughout a torrent postseason. He opted against surgery in the offseason and said he wasn’t worried about possibly needing a procedure when he spoke to reporters on Feb. 17.
Instead, Stanton and the Yankees conveyed a plan to slow-play his spring training ramp-up.
“Just gonna give as much time as possible before we gotta get rolling for a full year here,” Stanton said. “Definitely not just soreness. It’s a manageable thing. That’s how last year [went] and this year will go.”
Asked if his elbows worsened over the offseason, Stanton said, “The pain was very high in general.” He declined to say exactly when or how the issues first popped up, but his elbows began hurting about two months apart last season.
Stanton, who has a long history of lower-body injuries, added “absolutely not” when asked if he ever considered sitting during the Yankees’ run to the World Series, a stretch that saw him total seven home runs, 16 RBI, a 1.048 OPS and an ALCS MVP Award.
Losing Stanton could seriously hurt the Yankees’ lineup after he enjoyed a bounce-back, relatively healthy season in 2024. The team already lost Juan Soto to free agency, and newcomers Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt are no locks to resemble their former MVP selves.
The Yankees have a few alternative options at DH should they need some. Aaron Judge and Goldschmidt, among others, could rotate there. That would create more opportunities for a younger player like Ben Rice or a backup like Trent Grisham, who is roughly a week away from game action following a hamstring injury.