May 10, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) looks on from the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays during the fourth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

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Giancarlo Stanton injury update: What’s next for the Yankees veteran?

Giancarlo Stanton is looking to avoid season-ending surgery.

In a span of barely 3-4 days, Yankees fans received news on injuries, each of which could be defined as devastating and heartbreaking – Luis Gil, Gerrit Cole, and Giancarlo Stanton.

The New York Yankees are staring down yet another injury concern as veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton deals with significant tendon issues in both elbows. Set to receive a third round of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, Giancarlo Stanton admitted Saturday that the injuries are “severe” – something he attributes to bat adjustments he made last season. As of now, he has no clear timetable for resuming baseball activities.

Will surgery end Giancarlo Stanton’s season?

Stanton recently returned to Yankees camp after spending 11 days in New York addressing a personal matter, which he says is still being resolved. During his time away, he underwent two rounds of PRP treatment, with a third scheduled for Monday. The hope is that the therapy will allow him to avoid surgery, which would effectively end his season before it even begins.

“Let’s finish the treatment and go from there,” Stanton said. “I absolutely hate this. I’m going to get back as soon as possible.”

The Yankees’ designated hitter revealed that he played through pain in both elbows for most of last season, including during the playoffs, where he still managed to deliver, earning ALCS MVP honors after hitting four home runs against Cleveland. But now, even daily tasks have become a struggle, Stanton admitted that he currently lacks grip strength and has trouble picking things up, let alone swinging a bat, something he hasn’t done since mid-January.

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“It’s going to get to a point of pain tolerance and go from there,” Stanton explained. “I don’t think it’s going to be a 100 percent healed thing and start up. It’ll be, get to a point and just deal with it, similar to last year.”

With Opening Day approaching, the Yankees will need to make a decision sooner rather than later. Giancarlo Stanton is anyway not going to make the Opening Day roster, and the Yankees’ primary goal in this situation has to be Big G’s fitness for the second half of the season, and more importantly (hopefully), the postseason. If Stanton’s treatment doesn’t work and surgery becomes inevitable, the team will have to pivot quickly and figure out a power bat as their designated hitter. Aaron Judge is already expected to see more time at DH, and internal options like Jasson Domínguez or Ben Rice are becoming other likely options at DH with a partial realignment of the Yankees outfield.

However, if the Yankees want to ensure their right-handed power remains intact, they may have to explore external reinforcements to keep their lineup competitive.

Giancarlo Stanton

Yankees

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.