NEW YORK – For nine years, Giancarlo Stanton’s Yankees tenure has been marked by towering home runs, October highlights and an exhausting cycle of injuries and comebacks. Now, his season appears to be in jeopardy.
Though he was believed to be close to returning from a second strain of his right calf, the Yankees slugger sustained a “moderate grade” strain of his left calf after falling while running the bases this week at Yankee Stadium, according to manager Aaron Boone.
"We're not ruling anything out," Boone said. "He'll obviously continue to work to try to get it right and hopefully be available. Obviously we're at a point in the calendar where it gets challenging. But you also never know."
Stanton’s latest injury continues a perplexing saga that began on April 24 in Houston, when he felt a pop in his right calf while jogging between first and second bases. The Yankees initially hesitated to place Stanton on the injured list, believing the issue to be mild.
Instead, Stanton underwent an MRI that revealed a low-grade strain.
At the time, in a comment that proved to be prescient, Stanton said: “It’s good that it’s not a high-grade [strain], but at the same time, you’ve got to make sure it doesn’t happen again and you don’t reaggravate it.”
Stanton injured a different area of the same calf while running the bases in June.
“I’m bummed for him,” Boone said. “He’s been working his tail off every single day here, trying to get this thing right. I think you all know how bad he wants to be on that field, contributing to a championship. Obviously, that’s disappointing. Hopefully, we’ll just continue to work to get him right and healthy.”
Injuries have been an ongoing issue for Stanton, who hasn’t played a full season since 2018, his first in New York.
Over the past several years, Stanton has missed time with a left quad strain (2021), right ankle inflammation (‘22), left Achilles tendinitis (‘22), left hamstring strains (‘23, ’24) and epicondylitis in both elbows (‘25).
Stanton, 36, was batting .256 with three homers and 14 RBIs in 24 games this season. He is earning $29 million this season and is owed $25 million for 2027.
The contract – initially signed with the Marlins in November 2014 – includes a $25 million club option for the 2028 season, which carries a $10 million buyout.
Part of Stanton’s salary is being offset by the Marlins, a condition of the Dec. 11, 2017, trade that sent Stanton to New York in exchange for infielder Starlin Castro, right-hander Jorge Guzmán and infielder José Devers.
Miami is in the process of paying the Yankees $30 million, due in installments during the 2026, ’27 and ’28 seasons.
The 2017 National League Most Valuable Player with the Marlins and the MVP of the 2024 American League Championship Series against the Guardians, Stanton has 456 career home runs over a 17-year career that began with the Marlins in 2010.
“He’s in the trenches with the guys as much as he can be,” Boone said. “I admire him so much – who he is, the way he goes about things. The same rings true for everyone in that room. They look up to him, they respect him. When he speaks, you listen.”