Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

WATCH: Giancarlo Stanton Takes BP as He Works His Way Back from Injury

Can the Yankees really count on him?

Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Giancarlo Stanton is back on the field, taking batting practice at Yankee Stadium. On Wednesday, the 35-year-old DH stepped into the cage and took some healthy hacks, a day after facing live pitching from teammate Jake Cousins. It was Stanton’s first on-field BP since being shelved with epicondylitis in both elbows, a condition that derailed his offseason and wiped out the start of his 2025 campaign.

He played through the pain last year, including the ALCS against Cleveland, where he powered through to win series MVP. But the injury hasn’t gone away. And if you ask Stanton, it’s probably never going to.

Giancarlo taking BP 😍 pic.twitter.com/jmuPTHxGvj
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 7, 2025

“I don’t want to keep talking about this, because I’ve went over and over it,” Stanton said, clearly tired of the injury narrative. “If I’m out there, I’m good enough to play. There’s no levels of anything past that.” That’s been the party line for years now, but it hasn’t made the setbacks stop.

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This latest elbow issue is just another entry in a long list of physical breakdowns for Stanton, whose career with the Yankees has been a frustrating cycle of power and pauses. To speed recovery, he’s already undergone three rounds of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections this year alone. And while he’s swinging again, nobody’s betting on him to stay healthy for long.

When Will Giancarlo Stanton Return?

Stanton hasn’t appeared in a single game this season. He’ll need a minor league rehab stint before returning to live action, though Boone hinted on Wednesday that Stanton could be back as soon as late May, potentially during the Yankees’ upcoming West Coast trip to Anaheim and Los Angeles.

Still, even that timeline feels optimistic given his injury history.

Boone added that Stanton’s rehab might look different from others on the roster. Since he won’t be playing the field, all they need is for his bat to be playable. He’s been facing high-velocity reps on the Trajekt pitching machine for weeks, and he’ll keep working on timing during the Yankees’ road trip while staying back in the Bronx.

But what exactly are the Yankees getting when he does come back? Stanton’s power is unquestionable when he’s healthy, but that “when” has become the biggest asterisk in the entire Yankees lineup.

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Yes, he hit in the postseason. Yes, he’s still one of the most feared power threats in the game when locked in. But fans have heard this story before. He ramps up, returns with a bang, and then disappears, again. If he can keep up the postseason power, and perpetual clutch performances, no one’s complaining, but it shouldn’t get to a point where the Yankees (21-16) struggle to make it there.

And now, at 35, he’s openly admitting this discomfort might be something he’ll carry for the rest of his career. That’s a tough pill for the Yankees to swallow considering he’s still under contract through 2027, with a $25 million club option in 2028.

For now, Stanton’s swinging. He’s progressing. But until he’s in the lineup, and staying there, it’s hard to believe that the Yankees can count on him.

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Mohsin Baldiwala

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Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.