KANSAS CITY, Mo. — New York Yankees power hitter Giancarlo Stanton has reached an important milestone in his recovery from a right calf injury, beginning outdoor running exercises after encouraging medical imaging results, though his return timeline remains uncertain.
The slugger has been out of action since April 24, when he felt stiffness in his right calf during base running against Houston.
“I think he wants it fully clear, and I think we got enough news today that allows us to take that step to hopefully the running goes in line with how he’s feeling, and we can start to ramp up,” manager Aaron Boone told reporters Wednesday before the team’s final game against the Royals.
Through his first 24 games this season, Stanton was performing well with a .256 batting average, three home runs, and 14 RBIs. The five-time All-Star’s right-handed power is particularly crucial when Boone fields lineups heavy with left-handed hitters like Ben Rice, Trent Grisham, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger and Austin Wells.
“Having him in the middle, his presence is massive,” Boone noted. “So you know, hopefully not too much longer.”
When Stanton was injured, the team brought up Jasson Dominguez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but the young outfielder also landed on the injured list May 7 after straining his left shoulder’s AC joint in a collision with the outfield wall at Yankee Stadium.
Dominguez received a shoulder injection on May 11 and has been taking batting practice off a tee for approximately one week.
Team officials plan to increase Dominguez’s baseball activities this week as the Yankees finish their Kansas City series and travel to Sacramento for three games against the Athletics, wrapping up their six-game, seven-day road trip.
“Hopefully when we get back next week,” Boone explained, “there may be some live (batting practice) situations for him.”
