Giancarlo Stanton's Latest Injury is More Serious Than the Yankees Initially Thought

NEW YORK — When Giancarlo Stanton slid into second base at Tropicana Field on Saturday, advancing into scoring position on a wild pitch, he immediately grabbed at his left leg, stretching it out and testing his range of motion. 

Although it was subtle at the time, and something you might've missed watching on television, that was the moment the Yankees believe Stanton's latest injury can be traced back to. 

While the slugger was swiftly placed on the 10-Day Injured List, his diagnosis has since changed and thus, the time he's expected to be sidelined has been altered as well.

Before Tuesday's 9-6 win over the Braves, Yankees' manager Aaron Boone addressed reports that had surfaced in recent days surrounding the gravity of Stanton's hamstring injury.

"On the report it said three-to-four weeks and I would say that may be reasonable," Boone said. "I would temper it with saying we're in the early days here so we'll see how he responds this week. That would be in line with the kind of injury it is."

The skipper explained Stanton's hamstring strain — originally billed as left hamstring tightness on the night of the injury — is between a Grade 1 and 1-plus strain.

Moving forward, this week will be key in terms of assessing Stanton's status and prescribing an accurate timeline in his recovery.

"It's kind of a recovery treatment kind of week," Boone said. "We'll have a better idea of where we are at the end of the week about how he's responding and then when he's allowed to start ramping up from a baseball standpoint."

Stanton's Grade 1 right calf strain that he sustained during fielding drills back in Spring Training would have kept the slugger out had the regular season begun on time in late-March. Long after the league's coronavirus-induced hiatus, he's been limited to designated hitter duties as the club is striving to limit any and all possibilities of Stanton aggravating any previous ailment. 

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The slugger played in just 18 games this past season, revealing he had shaved 20 pounds during the COVID-19 layoff in an effort to be leaner. 

Through the Yankees' first 15 games of the season, Stanton was hitting .293 (12-for-41) with three homers, seven RBIs and 10 runs scored. The designated hitter was a staple in the middle of the order for one of the game's hottest teams out of the gates this summer.

While the earliest Stanton could be back appears to be the month of September, New York received some encouraging results on backup catcher Kyle Higashioka's right oblique strain.

"The MRI looked pretty good which was good news," Boone said on Tueday. "He still has the symptoms that go along with the oblique injury so hoping it's not something serious. The MRI would suggest that it's not. He still won't be doing any baseball activities for a handful of days here."

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