PHILADELPHIA — As expected, the Yankees have officially activated Giancarlo Stanton off the disabled list ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“The first thing you saw him walk this morning was he was trying to hit a little early,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I think he’s full of energy, he’s ready to go and he’s excited to get back.”
To make room for Stanton, the Yankees drafted little-used utility man Jamai Jones.
Stanton, the No. 5 hitter and designated hitter, had been sidelined since June 23 with a left hamstring injury. Prior to that, he was having a strong season, batting .246/.302/.492 with 18 home runs and 45 RBIs.
The Yankees will be hoping the same hitter returns after Stanton was hurt by injuries the past two seasons. The Boston Bombers can’t afford that to happen again, as most of their offensive line outside of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge has been awful with Stanton out, though the team did hit well over the weekend in Boston.
“Offensively, we’re getting a little bit better and a little bit more composed,” Boone said. “With G back, we’re going to have a strong lineup.”
The Yankees are hopeful Stanton will bounce back and won’t be too hard on him right away for missing a rehab session. Boone plans to rest Stanton on Tuesday and then reinsert him in the lineup on Wednesday.
Boone added that Stanton, who has been battling a lower-body injury for years, has run the bases “quite a bit this past week.” Stanton has set the series against the Phillies as his target for return since early last week.
“He knows his body really well and he’s really mindful of it,” Boone said of the oft-injured slugger. “I think it was really important for him to get the volume that he wanted and the load that he wanted to put on himself over and over again to feel like he was back.”
New face at third base
Jazz Chisholm Jr. never played third base professionally, but the Yankees recruit played the role on Monday, and Boone believes the second baseman/center fielder is a “special athlete” who can learn quickly.
“He’s a guy that’s grown up as a shortstop,” Boone said, “so I think he has the skill set and the ability to play that position. He’s going to go through some growing pains and we’ve got to embrace that and work with him, but at the same time, I want to keep it simple for him: play that position and [infield coach Travis Chapman] “We’ll advise him on a case-by-case basis, and we’ll be fluid. This is not set in stone. We want to see what the best combination is for us. I like his enthusiasm the last few days.”
When asked if Chisholm would be the everyday third baseman, Boone said, “That’s a possibility. We’ll see.”
The Yankees had Chisholm at third base and Ben Rice at first, with players learning their new positions at the corners on Monday. It’s not ideal, but Boone said Rice, a natural catcher, is adjusting well.
Chisholm is hopeful that will happen, but the Yankees’ infield could change again before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
“There’s definitely some things we have to work out from that standpoint,” Boone said. “Am I concerned? Maybe I am a little concerned, but one thing I know is we have a much better lineup today than we did two days ago.”
“It doesn’t always go the way you want it to, so we have to keep working to make our players better.”
Cortez heard the rumor
Standing in the Yankees’ locker room at Citizens Bank Park, Nestor Cortes said he was aware his name had come up in trade rumors. He had not pitched in relief on Monday and was trying to focus on his next scheduled start on Wednesday at Philadelphia.
Cortes’ agent told him his name has been in the rumors, but he doesn’t believe the Yankees have spoken to his agent. Cortes hasn’t spoken to Brian Cashman or Boone about the rumors.
Cortes added that he wants to keep things as they are, and while he believes the Yankees want to keep him, he knows the team will have to make sacrifices to get what’s needed in other areas.
“I’m not thinking about the trade deadline,” the left-hander said, “I’m not looking at moving on from here. If it happens, it happens, but I’m not worried about it.”
First published: July 29, 2024, 6:25 PM
