Star New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton will start the 2025 season on the injured list, the team has confirmed.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed earlier this month that Stanton, who has struggled to stay healthy since moving to New York in 2018, has been dealing with an injury to both of his elbows in the offseason.
And amid doubts over his status for their season-opener against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 27, the 35-year-old has now officially been ruled out of contention.
According to team insider Bryan Hoch, the Yankees confirmed that Stanton has received PRP injections in both elbows while attending to a personal matter in New York and will therefore begin the season on the injured list.
He is expected to return to Tampa, where his teammates are carrying out their spring training program, this coming week.
Stanton has consistently struggled to stay healthy since joining the Yankees ahead of the 2018 season.
New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton will start the 2025 season on the injured list
It comes as a further blow to the Yankees’ hitting power after losing Juan Soto to the Mets
After playing 158 of 162 games in his first season with the team, he played just 41 times over the next two seasons, which included the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
He’s also missed at least 48 games in each of the last three seasons.
Nonetheless, Stanton came up huge in the playoffs last season as his seven home runs and 16 RBI helped the Pinstripes reach the World Series.
His absence comes as a further blow to the Yankees’ hitting power after losing Juan Soto to cross-town rivals the Mets in the offseason.
Meanwhile, the Yankees’ bullpen also suffered a loss earlier this week when starting pitcher Luis Gil was shut down during Friday’s session.
Gil was expected to get an MRI on his right shoulder on Saturday. It could be a precaution for the Yankees about a month before Major League Baseball’s season starts. Boone and others around the organization are hoping the time off will get their young star back to full health.
Last season, Gil won the American League’s Rookie of the Year after amassing 171 strikeouts in 29 starts last season.
Gil is expected to be part of one of the best starting pitching rotations in baseball in 2025.
