ARLINGTON, Texas — Over the next week — or month — Giancarlo Stanton will determine whether he’s salvaged anything from 2019 — or if it’s been a complete disaster.
His performance on Friday left both Stanton and Aaron Boone encouraged. He reached base a season-high fives times, with a long home run, two singles and a pair of walks in the Yankees’ 14-7 win over the Rangers.
Stanton credited the production to having shortened up his swing a bit following Wednesday’s game at Tampa Bay.
“Some of the pitches [I swung at] were outside the zone, but I felt I picked the ball up better [Friday],’’ Stanton said.
“These at-bats are important,’’ Boone said. “[Stanton] is trying to get built up. For him to have good, consistent at-bats and control the strike zone. It was good to see.”
“It’s good,’’ Stanton said of the immediate results after making the subtle change. “To make quick adjustments is what I need going into the playoffs.”
His first-inning blast was just his second homer since returning from the sprained right knee that sidelined him since June 25.
The mammoth, 440-foot, solo shot gave the Yankees a quick lead and was also the Yankees’ 300th of the season.
Stanton has been limited to 16 games in a year marred by a torn left biceps, a sprained left shoulder and a calf injury before the knee sprain.
Stanton also walked in the third, had a two-run single in the fourth, walked in the sixth and singled in the eighth.
Before Friday’s outburst, Stanton was 4-for-18 with a pair of doubles and the lone home run, with three walks and nine strikeouts in 22 plate appearances.
He likely will need to up those numbers in the postseason to support an offense that got Gary Sanchez back from a strained groin on Friday and is still waiting for Edwin Encarnacion to get back from a strained oblique that the Yankees initially hoped would keep him out only until this past Tuesday.
Sanchez struck out in all three of his at-bats, and Boone provided no guarantee Encarnacion would play this weekend in Texas.
But Stanton could make up for at least some of what might be missing.
Though the Yankees’ offense has thrived even without Stanton for much of the year, they may need him more than at any other point in the season heading into the playoffs.
While they have leaned on somewhat unexpected sources such as DJ LeMahieu and Brett Gardner, as well as revelations from Gio Urshela and the continued development of Gleyber Torres, a healthy, productive Stanton would figure to make a significant difference.
“It’s never easy out there,’’ Stanton said. “It’s good to have seen what they could do without me, file in and add extra punch there.”
