Yankees Expect Giancarlo Stanton Injuries But Also Hope For Production

The comment Brian Cashman made about Giancarlo Stanton was easily lost in the shuffle from his 67 minutes of playing defense with reporters at last week’s general managers’ meetings in Scottsdale. It would be easy to see how his comment could get significantly overshadowed given that a majority of the time was spent defending a front office increasingly under fire for what unfolded last year and in the period leading up to it.

The comment was as follows:

“We try to limit the time he’s down,” Cashman told reporters in a response to a question about the Yankees’ frequent injuries “But I’m not gonna tell you he’s gonna play every game next year because he’s not. He’s going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game. But I know that when he’s right and healthy – other than this past year – the guy’s a great hitter and has been for a long time.”

The part about Cashman expecting Stanton to get hurt does seem like something out of the 1980s playbook of George Steinbrenner, maybe not like the Mr. May remark regarding Dave Winfield or the Ken Clay “spit the bit comment” but a rare display of open frustration towards a specific player.

It also is rooted in fact as Cashman said the silent part aloud. And the rare display of bluntness prompted a fairly strong response from agent Joel Wolfe, who said the following to the Athletic:

“I read the context of the entire interview. I think it’s a good reminder for all free agents considering signing in New York both foreign and domestic that to play for that team you’ve got to be made of Teflon, because mentally and physically because you can never let your guard down even in the offseason.”

Technically Cashman is not wrong and perhaps he is resigned to it. After all there were games when Stanton was instructed not to necessarily run hard as a way to avoid further injuries.

And there is more than enough transactional evidence to make Cashman’s comments valid, though every time Stanton gets hurt he is frustrated and upset about it as anyone, notably back on April 20 when he said the following:

“It’s unacceptable this often. The team relies on me and I can’t have this continue to happen and put us in a tough spot. “It’s my duty and responsibility to be out there.”

During his time with the Marlins, Stanton was on the injured list four times, missing nearly a month in 2016, the final three months in 2015, nearly two months in 2013 and about a month in 2012, his second full season after arriving as a touted prospect in 2010.

His production in between those stints resulted in the 13-year, $325 million contract negotiated by Wolfe with the Marlins, who were getting out of their unsuccessful spending binge for the 2012 season.

The amount on the contract is among the reasons for Stanton being on the Yankees, where other than last year was highly productive but also injured. He made it through 158 games in 2018 without an injury but in 2019 there was a two-month absence for a strained biceps followed another two months with a sprained knee.

In 2020, he missed a month with a hamstring strain before dominating the five-game loss to Tampa Bay in the ALDS.

A year later as the Yankees tediously won 92 games and battled various players getting COVID-19, he had two short IL stints and in 2022, he missed about two weeks with a strained calf and then a little over a month with an Achilles issue and wound up hitting .211

Last year, his season was derailed April 15 when he pulled up lame after getting a double and wound up with a hamstring injury that kept him out until June 2 – the day before Aaron Judge crashed into the wall at Dodger Stadium and fractured his right toe.

As a Yankee, Stanton has played in 549 games and is a .243 hitter with 135 homers and 359 RBIs. Last year’s .191 showing dropped his average as a Yankee by 12 points, which shows how much Stanton struggled in the 101 games he appeared in.

Stanton’s contract possesses a full no-trade clause and he will play the next year of it under a new hitting coach in James Rowson. Rowson was hired Monday and in his introduction a day later, he said he has made text message contact with Stanton:

“I think the first thing is just to make contact,” Rowson said. “Let’s talk. Hear what he has to say. I think one of the biggest attributes of a hitting coach is not always what you know, but sometimes it’s listening. Listening is a big, key factor in this. Hearing guys and understanding where they’re coming from because it’ll help you guide the path of success for them at times. So I can’t wait. I’m excited about him. Hope he’s looking forward to it. We’ll sit down, we’ll talk and then we’ll kind of go from there.”

Meanwhile going from there for the Yankees, involves an actual hot stove that does not involve comments made out of frustration but moves to improve a team in the midst of dealing with an ugly public perception.