The assessment of New York Yankees Giancarlo Stanton, 34, is cynical. And it’s shocking coming from the same team’s general manager.
“We’re trying to shorten the amount of time he’s off,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told the New York Daily News on Thursday, “but he’s not going to play every game next year. Injuries are part of his game. There’s a good chance he’s going to get injured (again next year),” he said.
It’s almost a vicious assessment. Stanton has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, especially since coming to the Yankees.굿모닝토토 도메인
After being drafted by the Florida Marlins (now Miami) with the 76th overall pick in the second round of the 2007 draft, Stanton made his first big league appearance in 2010. After making a strong impression in his first season, hitting 22 home runs, Stanton stayed with Miami through the 2017 season and hit double-digit home runs in eight straight seasons. Most notably, he hit 59 home runs in 2017, the most in a single season in his career.
That was it for Miami. He joined the Yankees in a trade before the 2018 season. He hit 38 home runs in his first year, but has been plagued by injuries ever since.
His injuries have varied. Hamstrings, ankles, Achilles tendonitis, knees, calves, and more have kept him out of many games.
This season was no different. He was sidelined with a left hamstring strain in April and returned in June. He ended up playing 101 games and batting .191 with 24 home runs and 60 RBIs. His batting average this year was the best of his career. For a player who’s making $32 million this year, that’s a lot of money.
In six years and 549 games with the Yankees, he batted .243 with 135 home runs, 359 RBIs, a .328 on-base percentage, a .484 slugging percentage and an .813 OPS.
“When Stanton is healthy and on point, he’s a really good hitter,” Cashman said.