Jul 13, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter DJ LeMahieu (26) celebrates with right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (27) after scoring the winning run after a wild pitch during the tenth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

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Yankees injury updates: Nightmare continues with worrying news on Luis Gil, Giancarlo Stanton, and DJ LeMahieu

Is this the right time to say why always us or can it get worse?

Why is no Yankees injury news ever good news? Most of this is exactly what I expected, but that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow. So here’s the latest on Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, and Luis Gil, none of whom will be available for a while. And what does “a while” mean? Great question. Maybe someone at Yankees management will eventually let us know.

Giancarlo Stanton

Stanton, who has been dealing with elbow issues since mid-January (and, apparently, much of 2024), received another round of platelet-rich plasma injections on Thursday. He’s set to rejoin Yankees camp this weekend, per Brian Cashman, but there’s still no timeline for when he’ll be able to resume baseball activities.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman discusses Giancarlo Stanton’s status, saying surgery would be a “last resort”: pic.twitter.com/ps6Y9Tmci9
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 6, 2025

In case you missed it, Stanton left the team on Feb. 24 for what the Yankees called a “private matter” unrelated to his elbows. While that remains ambiguous, what’s crystal clear is that he hasn’t been able to swing a bat since the offseason.

“Ultimately, he was dealing with it at the end of last year and obviously thought we were in a good place. I think he was feeling like we were in a good place, but then it reared its ugly head about three weeks before camp,” Cashman said.

ALSO READ: Is Giancarlo Stanton considering retirement?

Cashman also characterized corrective surgery, which would require at least three months of recovery, as a “last resort.” So, no need to panic just yet (but also, maybe panic a little given the Yankees history?).

Luis Gil

The reigning AL Rookie of the Year is out for at least three months with a high-grade right lat strain. Gil traveled to New York this week for additional testing, which confirmed the initial diagnosis. He’s scheduled for a PRP injection and won’t be throwing for at least six weeks.

Brian Cashman is hopeful that Luis Gil will return to the Yankees at some point in the summer:

"Six weeks minimum of no throw, could be longer if he takes longer"

(via @BryanHoch) pic.twitter.com/xbPxzLo6Am
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 6, 2025

“He’s certainly important to us, but thankfully, as long as we handle it right, we’ll get him back sometime in the summer,” Cashman said.

ALSO READ: Marcus Stroman falls short in first chance to step up after Luis Gil’s injury

Gil’s absence opens up a spot in the rotation for Marcus Stroman, who will now join Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, and Clarke Schmidt. Depth options include Will Warren, Carlos Carrasco, and Allan Winans, because, as Cashman put it, “You can never have enough.”

DJ LeMahieu

LeMahieu underwent an MRI on Tuesday, which revealed a strain in his left calf. He’s now officially out of the running to be the Yankees’ Opening Day third baseman and won’t resume baseball activities for “a couple weeks.”

Brian Cashman with the latest on DJ LeMahieu: "Rest and recover…he's going to be down for a period of time"

On the Yankees' plan at third base: "Boonie will play with what he's got. Either an individual will emerge or he'll multi-player it."

(via @BryanHoch) pic.twitter.com/2QUqS6jHkO
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 6, 2025

With LeMahieu sidelined, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza are leading the charge at third base, though Cashman hinted at a potential platoon situation.

ALSO READ: George Lombard Jr.’s big spring: Will he break camp with the Yankees?

Meanwhile, Aaron Judge is likely to spend more time in the DH role with Stanton unavailable, and the Yankees’ Grapefruit League lineup on Thursday against the Twins could be a preview of the Opening Day order. Other DH options include Ben Rice and non-roster invitee Dom Smith.

ALSO READ: Juan Soto dethrones Aaron Judge as New York’s biggest star

If you had “a cascade of early injuries derailing Yankees spring training” on your bingo card, congrats. For the rest of us, this is just more of the same: waiting, speculating, and hoping that “a while” doesn’t turn into “way too long.”

Who is favorite to win AL East?

Despite the injury setbacks, the Yankees remain favorites to win the AL East at +110, followed by the Orioles at +260. The Red Sox (+400) are lingering as a potential threat, while the Rays (+900) and Blue Jays (+1400) are long shots according to BetMGM.

If you’re feeling optimistic (or reckless), betting on the Yankees at plus money might still be a solid move, assuming the injury gods take a break sometime soon

DJ LeMahieu

Giancarlo Stanton

Luis Gil

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.