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Giancarlo Stanton has sat two straight games against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The New York Yankees asked Giancarlo Stanton to do something he hadn’t in more than two years, and now they may be paying the penalty for it.

Stanton was out of New York’s lineup for the third straight day, after he played right field in three straight games, and manager Aaron Boone opened up about what Stanton is managing ahead of Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Stanton has been New York’s primary designated hitter but was forced to play the outfield with superstar Aaron Judge recovering from an elbow injury. Judge is able to DH but cannot throw with the same authority he has.

What Is Giancarlo Stanton’s Injury?

Stanton has already battled elbow tendinitis in both arms this year, which cost him the first two-plus months of the season. But Stanton played right field in five straight games — starting four of the five, including all three against the Minnesota Twins — going to the outfield for the first time since September 2023.

Stanton had not played the outfield in consecutive games since August 2023, and he tweaked a lower-body injury, according to Boone.

“I don’t think it’s anything big,” Boone said, according to the New York Post. “It’s like spring training. It’s why we play them four and five innings to start and days off. You’re building that bandwidth.

“Like a marathon runner, you don’t sit on the couch for three weeks and rest up and then go run the marathon. You’ve got to train for it. So it’s partly that.”

Three straight in a row was a bit much for the 35-year-old to recover from, according to Boone. Plus, with Busch Stadium’s more spacious right field than that of Yankee Stadium, Stanton sitting was the call.

“Just a little tougher recovering after the last [game against the Twins],” Boone said, “and then being here … we’ll see if [Sunday’s] an option or not.”

Stanton has been carrying New York’s offense over the past month, slashing .333/.377/.681 with eight homers, 18 RBIs and 11 runs scored in 20 games. Having his bat in the lineup, since he ranks second on the team with a .949 OPS, is essential, and to his credit, Stanton remains open to manning right field.

“I don’t want to scrap him out there,” Boone said about Stanton playing the outfield. “But trying to be mindful and careful and smart about it too, and to his credit, he and I talk closely about it and even going into it, ‘If we have any issues, let’s get out in front of things as best we can.’ We’ll just see. I’m kind of taking it day by day.”

Who Has Been Playing Right Field For The Yankees?

The Yankees traded for utilityman Jose Caballero for this exact purpose.

With Stanton confined to the bench, and Judge forced to DH, Caballero has played right field in each of the first two games in St. Louis. He started consecutive games for the first time since New York acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays on July 31.

Ironically, Caballero has been an offensive linchpin for the Yankees in St. Louis. Caballero is 4 for 7 with four stolen bases and had three runs scored in New York’s 12-8 win Saturday night.

Pat Pickens is an experienced sports writer and media personality who has written for outlets like NHL.com, the Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today. He covers the NFL, NBA, NHL and NBA as a breaking news contributor at Heavy. More about Pat Pickens