When Giancarlo Stanton hurt his right calf while jogging to second base on a walk on April 24, the Yankees held out hope that he would avoid the injured list.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be smart about it,\u201d Aaron Boone said at the time<\/a>. \u201cG knows that we don\u2019t want this to turn into a long-term situation, so we\u2019ll proceed accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, Stanton did go on the IL with a calf strain, and then he remained there with another. And another. With two separate strains to his right side and then one to his left side, the designated hitter missed more than five months in 2026.<\/p>\n Stanton, able to hit throughout the year but challenged by his running progressions, did make it back for the playoffs<\/a>. But he struck out in two pinch-hit at-bats during the ALDS.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s obviously been a really tough year for G on the injury front, and I just give him a ton of credit because after this last setback a month ago, he probably could have just taken his ball and gone home,\u201d Boone said after Stanton was rostered for the Wild Card Series. \u201cAnd he\u2019s never stopped. Even through the frustration of having a couple of different setbacks, he\u2019s never stopped working and trying to, if he can, be some kind of option.\u201d<\/p>\n The question now is whether Stanton will remain an option for the Yankees, as his future with the team is murky.<\/p>\n Plagued by lower-body injuries throughout his pinstriped career \u2014 he also has lingering tennis elbows \u2014 Stanton is going to turn 37 next month. No longer able to play the field, he doesn\u2019t have a clear fit on a Yankees roster that also has Ben Rice and Luis Garc\u00eda Jr., two guys who only played first and DH\u2019d for the Yankees last season. Aaron Judge, fresh off his own injury-riddled campaign<\/a>, would benefit from more DH days in his age-35 season, too.<\/p>\n Stanton has also reached a point in his contract \u2014 a massive 13-year, $325 million pact signed with the Marlins in 2014 \u2014 where the Yankees could be comfortable moving on.<\/p>\n The 2017 National League MVP is owed $25 million next season, but Miami will pay $10 million toward that sum. Stanton also has a $25 million club option or a $10 million buyout for 2028. Once again, the Marlins are on the hook for $10 million in 2028.<\/p>\n That means parting with Stanton now would only cost the Yankees $15 million.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve taken on more dead money in the recent past. Two summers ago, the Bombers owed DJ LeMahieu about $22 million when they released him. Aaron Hicks still had about $27 million coming his way when the Yankees cut bait in May 2023. And Jacoby Ellsbury was due $26 million when he got his pink slip in November 2019.<\/p>\n But LeMahieu, Hicks and Josh Donaldson, who was owed much less money at the time of his release in August 2023, were given opportunities to get healthy and\/or show that they could remain productive prior to their departures. That didn\u2019t work out well each time, but all got some runway before becoming midseason cuts.<\/p>\n It would be somewhat surprising if the well-respected Stanton, a potential Hall of Famer and the Yankees\u2019 unofficial co-captain alongside Judge, wasn\u2019t afforded the same opportunity.<\/p>\n The Yanks don\u2019t have much to lose in that scenario anyway. They\u2019ll have to pay Stanton regardless, so they might as well see if he or others have a healthy spring training, or if he has anything left in the tank.<\/p>\n Stanton, 44 homers shy of 500 for his career, wasn\u2019t overly productive in the 24 games he played in at the start of the season, hitting three longballs with a .724 OPS. He did go on a tear, however, after returning from his elbow injuries in 2025, crushing 24 dingers with a .944 OPS in just 77 games.<\/p>\n Stanton did suffer dips in his Hard-Hit%, Barrel% and bat speed in 2026, but the sample size was incredibly limited.<\/p>\n