The Yankees are expected to be without Giancarlo Stanton for about a month.
That’s what the slugger said after an MRI on Sunday revealed a mild strain of his left hamstring, interrupting what’s been a resurgent season for the five-time All-Star.
“They said it should be in the four-week range,” Stanton said Sunday. “So just as soon as possible.”
The Yankees placed Stanton on the 10-day injured list, a day after he exited Saturday night’s win against the Braves. He received a PRP injection on Sunday.
Stanton said the injury occurred when he scored from second base in the fourth inning of that 8-3 victory. He could be seen grimacing as he rounded third.
Trent Grisham pinch-hit for the designated hitter in the bottom of the sixth.
It’s the first IL stint of the season for Stanton, who has dealt with lower-body injuries throughout his tenure with the Yankees. Stanton missed about six weeks with a left hamstring strain last season, while a strain of the same hamstring cost him more than a month in 2020.
Stanton said his latest strain felt “a little better” than last year’s, but he could still tell before undergoing imaging that he would miss time.
“I knew it’d be a few weeks,” said Stanton, who expects to be able to some exercises 48 hours after the PRP injection.
Stanton, 34, also dealt with a calf strain and Achilles tendonitis in 2022. He trained differently in the offseason, incorporating more running into his routine.
An outfielder by trade, Stanton played in 69 of the Yankees’ first 79 games, all as the designated hitter or as a pinch-hitter. He is hitting .246 with 18 home runs and a .794 OPS and extended his hit streak to 10 games before exiting Saturday.
The righty-swinging Stanton has primarily batted cleanup against left-handed pitchers — behind Juan Soto and Aaron Judge — and fifth against right-handers, slotting in after Alex Verdugo.
“He’s been that force that you want in the middle,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Sunday’s 3-1 loss to the Braves. “He’s been a threat every day, and he’s gotten a lot of big hits for us, obviously hitting the ball out of the ballpark.
“These things happen over the course of the year,” the manager continued. “You’re gonna go through times where you get dinged up, and for the most part we’ve been pretty fortunate on that front, but it’s just on other guys to have to step up a little bit.”
Stanton batted .202 and totaled 55 home runs with a .442 slugging percentage in 211 games over the 2022-23 seasons.
The Yankees called up infielder Oswald Peraza before Sunday’s game, then optioned him back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre afterward without using.
Stanton’s absence creates an opportunity for Grisham, who arrived in the same December trade with the Padres that brought Soto to the Yankees. Grisham hit his fourth home run of the year on Saturday after replacing Stanton.
A two-time Gold Glove winner in center field, the lefty-hitting Grisham went 2-for-3 on Sunday, boosting his average to .138 in 65 at-bats that have often come far apart.
“This should give him that uptick in playing time,” Boone said. “You never want it to come at the expense of something, but we do feel in Trent, we’ve got a really good player that’s sitting there [and] can help us win games.”
Judge, who moved to center field this season to accommodate Soto in right, will “probably” see more time as the designated hitter with Stanton out, according to Boone, who said he plans to cycle multiple players through the DH spot. Judge was the Yankees’ DH on Sunday.
Soto may also factor into the designated hitter mix, but Boone said Sunday, “I don’t think Juan really loves DHing all that much.”
Boone said the Yankees did not consider calling up prized prospect Spencer Jones, a Double-A outfielder who, through Saturday, had batted .288 with a .479 slugging percentage in June. Jasson Dominguez would have been considered if he weren’t out with an oblique strain, Boone acknowledged.
Stanton’s injury occurred less than a week after the Yankees lost Anthony Rizzo to a fractured right forearm. Rizzo is expected to miss about two months.
The Yankees traded for Stanton after a 2017 season in which he hit 59 home runs with the Marlins en route to NL MVP honors. Stanton’s 420 career home runs make him the active leader among MLB hitters.
Entering Sunday, Stanton’s 18 home runs were tied for the ninth most in baseball. Judge led the majors with 28 homers, while Soto also had 18.
