CLEVELAND -- Considering the eventful nature of his first half with the Yankees, Giancarlo Stanton seemed to be pleasantly surprised that his name was included for consideration in the upcoming Midsummer Classic, though not altogether surprised when his candidacy fell short in the Camping World All-Star Final Vote.
Having scored some laughs from the creative videos his teammates produced to garner fan support, Stanton said that he was looking forward to this weekend series with the Indians, calling it "a big head-to-head matchup" that would feature "good anticipation."
"One thing that has been impressive to me about Giancarlo is he's been the same guy every day," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "He was really scuffling in April and parts of May through the ups and downs. If you didn't know better just by dealing with him, just by the way he goes about his work, nothing has really changed."
Stanton entered play on Thursday having collected multiple hits in four of five games and nine of his last 17, batting .386/.449/.629 with four homers and 12 RBIs over the longer span.
He was batting .362/.412/.617 with three homers and eight RBIs in 11 July games prior to Thursday. Boone also lauded Stanton's willingness to shift between left field, right field and designated hitter for a chance to play on a winning club.
"I think he really values it in the sense [that the designated hitter] also protects him a little bit," Boone said. "It takes away a little bit of the wear and tear. He's really handled the whole thing really, really well, especially for a guy who's coming off an MVP season."
Signings announced
The Yankees have formally announced the signings of 20 international prospects, including 16-year-old outfielder Kevin Alcantara, a prized standout whom MLB.com rated as this year's No. 10 international prospect.
A product of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, Alcantara is a speedster with an average and accurate arm who consistently exceeds 100 mph with his exit velocity. Alcantara is believed to have commanded a bonus in the $1 million range.
The Yankees' influx of talent includes Antonio Gomez, a 16-year-old catcher from Caracas, Venezuela, who is listed as the No. 11 international prospect by MLB.com. Gomez received a $600,000 bonus.
Denny Larrondo, a 16-year-old right-handed pitcher from Cuba, was tabbed by MLB.com as the No. 29 international prospect. Larrondo signed for $550,000.
The additions also included right-hander Rafael Severino, the younger brother of Yankees All-Star right-hander Luis Severino.
Other signings announced included: outfielder Mauro Bonifacio (Dominican Republic), shortstop Marcos Cabrera (Dominican Republic), catcher Kevyn Camacho (Venezuela), right-hander Juan Carela (Dominican Republic), shortstop Jose Colmenares (Venezuela), shortstop Maikol Escotto (Dominican Republic), outfielder Christopher Familia (Dominican Republic), catcher Nicolas Garcia (Dominican Republic), outfielder D'Vaughn Knowles (Bahamas), shortstop Dayro Perez (Dominican Republic), right-hander Starling Perez (Dominican Republic), right-hander Ignacio Radney (Dominican Republic), catcher Agustin Ramirez (Dominican Republic), catcher Jesus Rodriguez (Dominican Republic), left-hander Miguel Vargas (Venezuela) and right-hander Tyrone Yulie (Dominican Republic).
Bombers bits
• Gary Sanchez (groin strain) could begin a Minor League rehab assignment on Sunday, Boone said. Sanchez went through another series of workouts on Thursday at Progressive Field.
• Gleyber Torres (right hip strain) has resumed running and did not report any discomfort. Torres is expected to attend the All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, but has been replaced on the American League roster by the Athletics' Jed Lowrie.
• Chasen Shreve celebrated his 28th birthday on Thursday.
This date in Yankees history
July 12, 1951: Allie Reynolds no-hits the Indians at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, outpitching Bob Feller in a 1-0 victory. It is the first of two no-hitters that season for Reynolds, who would also hold the Red Sox hitless on Sept. 28.