TORONTO – Giancarlo Stanton experienced a setback in his recovery from a left calf strain and could undergo additional imaging, manager Aaron Boone said on Saturday.
Stanton – who has been out since sustaining the injury on April 24 at Houston – felt a tweak or twinge while running bases this past week in New York, according to Boone.
“He felt a little something in there a day or two ago, so that’s kind of slowed him down,” Boone said. “I expected him back early in this homestand. That’s in jeopardy now.”
Boone said Stanton was hitting on the field at Yankee Stadium, running out balls, and “just felt a little something in his last one.”
Stanton, 36, was batting .256 (23-for-90) with six doubles, three homers and 14 RBIs in 24 games this season.
Entering Saturday, Ben Rice has taken the Yankees’ most plate appearances at designated hitter (105), followed by Stanton (89), Jasson Domínguez (29) and Aaron Judge (23).
Judge is also on the injured list with a stress fracture in his right first rib, an injury that could keep him out until July or August.
The Yankees also placed outfielder Trent Grisham on the 10-day injured list Saturday, recalling Domínguez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
“No getting around it, we’ve lost some key people,” Boone said. “It’s part of it. The [162 game schedule] is coming for you. I feel like we’re way more equipped to deal with it than we have been in some years. It’s a great opportunity for some of our young players.”