Sep 26, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) makes a catch for an out in front of left fielder Jasson Dominguez (89) during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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Giancarlo Stanton injury: What it means for the Yankees outfield

Trent Grisham enters the mix?

Funnily enough—or maybe not—there’s a real possibility that Giancarlo Stanton never plays the field again. But even if that’s the case, his latest injury still has a significant impact on the Yankees’ outfield. While one reasonably decent outcome comes from this, it’s tough to spin losing Stanton’s bat in the lineup as anything but a problem.

How will the realigned Yankees outfield look?

The Yankees will likely roll out a realigned outfield, with Trent Grisham stepping into center field, Cody Bellinger shifting from center to right, and Aaron Judge sliding into the designated hitter role. Defensively, this is an upgrade, with Grisham adding a plus glove in center. It also mitigates injury risks for Judge, who, as the reigning AL MVP, is the Yankees’ most irreplaceable player heading into the season. Manager Aaron Boone has already hinted at the value of giving Judge some partial days off at DH early in the year, though he still sees Judge as a key defensive asset in right field.

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As for filling Stanton’s spot, the Yankees have a couple of in-house options. Youngster Ben Rice and non-roster invitee Dominic Smith could get some looks when Grisham isn’t in the lineup pushing a regular to DH. But that’s assuming everything else remains stable, and that’s a big assumption.

Jasson Dominguez in left field is one of the bigger variables in this equation. No doubts there about his bat. But his defense in left has been, let’s just say, a work in progress.

Another tough play for Jasson Dominguez in left field: pic.twitter.com/y4Z011aa9h
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) February 27, 2025

The Yankees can either hope for rapid improvement or consider an alternative: keeping Judge in the field more often, letting Dominguez focus on hitting, and acquiring an outside left fielder. Someone like, for whatever it may be worth, Alex Verdugo.

While Stanton’s injury might force the Yankees into a more defensively sound outfield alignment, it also leaves them thinner on power and options.

Aaron Judge

Giancarlo Stanton

Jasson Dominguez

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.