What had existed only behind the scenes was brought to the forefront Thursday. Here was real evidence one of the great X factors not just for the club but for the entire postseason field was developing into a legitimate option.
For the first time, in this round of injury rehab at least, Giancarlo Stanton stood in the batter’s box at Yankee Stadium and looked like himself while facing velocity from a machine.
Three calf strains later, the most recent just over a month ago, the prodigious Yankees slugger is trying to become a rosterable bat — even if he would only be used in pinch-hit scenarios, which Aaron Boone has hinted at — and is hoping to become a weapon for a wild-card playoff round that begins Tuesday.
“[Stanton] looks great,” said Trent Grisham, who also hit off the machine as he completes his own rehab from a hamstring strain.
The hurdle Stanton could not get over all summer was making turns. Twice he graduated to the last step of the buildup process — running the bases — and twice he suffered subsequent calf strains, the first setback coming in a different spot in his left leg and the second in his right leg.
But with the stay-ready group at an otherwise empty ballpark at the Yankees’ Double-A Somerset affiliate Wednesday, Stanton, who had been running for weeks, ran the bases for what Boone believed to be the first time in this rehab cycle.
The Yankees know better than to look too far ahead with Stanton, considering his legs have not cooperated each time he approached an activation this season, but he betrayed no issues a day later and has been able to swing for much of the downtime.
“He’s been hitting all summer, whether it’s Trajekt, live arms and things like that,” Boone said before the Yankees finished a series against the Rays in The Bronx. “So he’s been doing a lot along the way. He’s had to deal with a couple of setbacks from the injury front along the way, too.
“So we’ll see here as the next few days unfold.”
One more “we’ll see” for a team that is testing exactly how many balls in the air it can juggle, but no ball — like Aaron Judge returning from his own calf strain or Carlos Lagrange getting his call-up for a major league debut in October — may have been more unlikely than Stanton finding health on time.
There is still doubt whether the Yankees would feel comfortable 1) giving him the green light without Stanton having seen a major league pitch since April 24 or 2) using one of their 26 roster spots on a slugger who cannot play the field and would only be used off the bench.
But in a three-game, first-round series, almost certainly against the Red Sox, the Yankees will carry more hitters than pitchers — maybe 15 and 11, respectively — and they may have no greater need than righty hitters. Judge’s status is unclear, which means Paul Goldschmidt and Heliot Ramos are right now the club’s best lefty killers.
Boston’s staff, from Payton Tolle, Ranger Suarez and Jake Bennett in the rotation to Aroldis Chapman, Jovani Morán and Erik Miller in the bullpen, is heavily lefty.
There are few hitters more feared in the postseason than Stanton, who has a lifetime .926 OPS with 18 home runs in 48 playoff games.
“We’ll see,” Boone reiterated about the status of both Stanton and Grisham. “It’s still days away, so I don’t want to put the cart before the horse. Let’s just get through these next few days.”
As for Grisham, who has been sidelined since Sept. 4, the outfielder says he is healthy and ready to be activated. The Yankees have hesitated, though, in part because doing so would force them to option (or DFA) another player, and demoting a player now means that player would need to wait a minimum of 15 days before being brought back to the major league roster. If the Yankees delay bringing Grisham back until Game 1 of the postseason, this problem would not exist.
Especially if Judge is not ready to return to the outfield in time, Grisham would loom as a particularly important ball in the air.
“I think I’ve done everything I needed to do,” said Grisham, who added he believed he would be OK not having seen live major league pitching before the postseason arrives. “I’m confident in my abilities.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
