New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton will start the 2025 season on the injured list, the team confirmed on Saturday.
The 35-year-old designated hitter is dealing with tennis elbow in both of his arms. He flew back to New York earlier this week due to personal matters and received PRP injections. As it stands, he is expected to rejoin the team back in Tampa for the remainder of spring training within the week.
Stanton had played through elbow issues last season, an issue that had lingered throughout the offseason. Upon reporting to camp, the 2017 NL MVP had not swung a bat in approximately one month, making the IL designation for the start of the regular season a formality more than anything.
“The biggest thing is getting him right and if that costs us a little bit on the front end, so be it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I do feel like we’ll get to a good spot with this. It’s a long year.”
Stanton is projected to have an even larger role within the Yankees’ lineup this season after losing Juan Soto and filling the void with Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. As a legitimate No. 2 slugger behind Aaron Judge, the veteran righty is coming off a massive postseason in which he hit seven home runs with 16 RBI in 14 games while earning ALCS MVP honors.
