Yankees’ Aaron Boone Makes Giancarlo Stanton Decision After Aaron Judge Update

The New York Yankees are in the best position they’ve been in for weeks, but they must take advantage of their fortune. They’ve won six straight and are 2.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East ahead of Saturday’s bout with the Chicago White Sox.

Additionally, star sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are both playing consistently, which wasn’t the case before the latter player returned from elbow tendinitis in June. Judge also went down with an elbow injury in late July and returned on August 5, but only as a designated hitter.

That’s caused the two stars to switch positions, as Stanton is manning right field part-time until his teammate can throw in games again. The 35-year-old hadn’t previously played the field since 2023.

However, New York is rotating the oft-injured Stanton in and out of the lineup to limit his outfield reps, despite his elite bat. The 2024 ALCS MVP won’t start on Friday, via the team’s social media.

Stanton will be able to return to designated hitter full-time when Judge can play right field again, but there’s still no timeline on that. However, Yankees manager Aaron Boone did confirm on Thursday that he expects the AL MVP candidate to return to the outfield at some point this season, via MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.

Boone also revealed an update about Stanton on Saturday, via The New York Post’s Greg Joyce.

“The last time Giancarlo Stanton played the field in Houston (2022 ALCS), he started in LF. But he will not play LF during the Yankees’ upcoming series at Minute Maid Park, per Boone,” Joyce reported. “That may change at Fenway Park in two weeks, but RF at MMP is less spacious than it is at Fenway.”

The Yankees begin a road series against the Houston Astros on Tuesday after one more matchup with the White Sox on Sunday.

Playing Stanton in left field would give New York more lineup flexibility, as it could put Jasson Dominguez, Jose Caballero, or Cody Bellinger in right with Trent Grisham in center. It could also stick Bellinger in center and sit Grisham, depending on the day. Fellow outfielder Austin Slater (hamstring) will be another option when he returns from rehab as well.

However, the Yankees have yet to play Stanton full-time since Judge’s return in efforts to keep him healthy for the playoffs.

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Yankees Must Decide Between Safety and Effectiveness

Preserving Stanton’s health will always be a valid strategy, as he hasn’t played over 114 games in a season since 2021. However, the former NL MVP entered Saturday slashing .300/.374/.635 with 17 homers and 46 RBI over 53 games, averaging almost one home run every three contests.

It’s risky to sit a hitter of that caliber when chasing a division title late in the season. New York will be two games behind Toronto if it wins on Saturday, which would be the closest it’s been since July 17. Stanton’s bat in the lineup every day could be the extra push it needs to reach first place.