Giancarlo Stanton is back after the minimum stay on the 10-day injured list.
The Yankees activated Stanton off the IL on Saturday ahead of their 3-0 win over the Tigers in The Bronx. Serving as the DH and batting cleanup, Stanton went 1-for-4 with a double rocketed to center field.
The slugger had landed on the IL on May 25 with what the club first described as a right calf strain before clarifying it was ankle inflammation. Saturday was the second straight day the Yankees’ lineup got a boost from a returning player after Josh Donaldson was activated off the IL on Friday.
“We get another great player back,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Excited that it was something minor that he was essentially able to continue to get good work in really over almost the entire 10 days. Just excited to have him back. Excited that it’s today. We were going to maybe wait a day. But he’s been in a good spot here these last few days to be ready to go today.”
Before being pulled from the May 24 game with the injury, Stanton was helping to fuel the Yankees’ lineup. He was hitting .285 with 11 home runs and a .862 OPS across 40 games.
Giancarlo Stanton is back in the Yankees lineup on Saturday. Corey Sipkin Stanton had also started in right field for 19 of those 40 games, allowing the Yankees better lineup flexibility. Despite the injury, Boone said he did not expect Stanton’s time in the outfield to be affected.
“My hope is that it’ll be very similar, that he’s still going to play a lot in the field,” Boone said. “He and I are both on the same page with that.”
To make room for Stanton on the 26-man roster, the Yankees optioned Miguel Andujar to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The left fielder had done a solid job filling in while the Yankees dealt with injuries, playing serviceable defense and batting .268 with a .596 OPS.
The return of Stanton could also make playing time tougher to come by for Matt Carpenter, who has gotten off to a strong start since signing with the Yankees. All six of his starts have come at DH, though Boone said he had a conversation with Carpenter about trying to get him at-bats where he can.
“There could be times where it’s challenging, but he’s prepared for that,” Boone said. “I absolutely think we have something there.”
