It won’t change the impact it has on him at the plate, but life at home is not without its challenges for Giancarlo Stanton either.
The Yankees slugger relayed to NJ.com the daily struggles that comes with two painful tennis elbows that he battles on a daily basis on and off the field.
“I can’t open a bottle,” Stanton said. “I can’t open a bag of chips … a bag of anything. That’s the way it is.”
Stanton missed the first 70 games of last season due to tennis elbow in both of his arms. He and the Yankees opted to not undergo surgery in the offseason, with Stanton saying that an operation wouldn’t fix the issue.
It continues to plague Stanton and the Yankees have decided to start slow in spring training as a result.
He’s yet to play in any of the Yankees’ first six spring training games. He and Yankees manager Aaron Boone are targeting sometime around March 3 to return to the lineup, when they face Panama’s WBC team.
That would give Stanton about two weeks of game action, on top of hitting in the cages and facing live pitchers during batting practice, to prepare for Opening Day on March 25.
Stanton’s status for the season has not changes and he fully expects to be ready for a full season even with Boone planning days of rest.
“We did that last year. There were days he was playing where it was tough for him, but he wanted in there,” Boone said. “There are other days he wanted to be in there and I’d say, ‘We have to stay disciplined to this because you’re so critical to us.’”
During his seven seasons with the Yankees, Stanton has played in just 56.4 percent of the team’s 1,032 regular season games. He has missed contests for hamstring and oblique injuries on top of his elbow pain.
He’s played more than 115 games only once since 2018, his first season in pinstripes.
Last year, though, Stanton got the most out of his 77 games. He slashed .273/.350/.594 with a .944 OPS, the highest mark since his 2017 MVP year. He also smashed 24 homers.
Usually plugged in at designated hitter, he also spent time in the outfield while Aaron Judge worked back from a flexor strain injury.
“The key is get in the box. My last year overall numbers were low,” Stanton said. “I want a full season.”
A full season of Stanton’s power would do wonders for the Yankees, still looking for their first championship since 2009. Usually a key contributor in October, he’ll have to do so while fighting through pain.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
