Doctor clears Stanton to take dry swings
Marlins slugger had surgery last month on broken hamate bone in left hand
PHOENIX -- Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton was examined by a hand specialist on Monday and was cleared to begin taking dry swings.
Stanton, who underwent surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his left hand on June 28, has not swung a bat in nearly a month.
"That'll be step one in his rehab," Marlins manager Dan Jennings said. "I don't know that there's truly a timeframe. He'll know and he'll tell us."
The next step for Stanton in his recovery will be hitting off a tee. The Marlins outfielder had the stitches in his hand removed on Friday in advance of Monday's visit.
Before the injury, Stanton was having a strong season, enough for him to be voted in as a starter in the All-Star Game. The 25-year-old is batting .265 with 27 home runs and 67 RBIs.
Stanton was originally expected to be back before the end of July. That's still a possibility, but Jennings said he will continue to take the wait-and-see approach.
"One thing about Giancarlo, he's very straightforward and very honest with his own assessment of himself and where he is," Jennings said. "He's putting together a tremendous year and you know he wants to be back."