Why Giancarlo Stanton Will Come Off Bench in Philadelphia

MINNEAPOLIS — After struggling to get back on track in his first eight games since coming off the injured list, Giancarlo Stanton found his rhythm in Minneapolis. 

The slugger went 6-for-15 over three games against the Twins, mashing three home runs and driving in eight runs in that span. 

So, why would Stanton be relegated to the bench this weekend when he's finally getting his timing back at the plate?

New York travels from Minnesota to Philadelphia, set to begin a quick two-game series against the Phillies on Saturday. With no designated hitter in National League ballparks, and Stanton still working back from his left quad injury, manager Aaron Boone isn't quite ready to put his injury-prone slugger back in the outfield.

"I don't plan on using him in the outfield yet," Boone said Thursday afternoon. "Conversations started to happen with him even a little bit before he went on the IL and then that kind of obviously put that on the back-burner a little bit. But it is something that as the summer unfolds, and hopefully I'm still very open to that being in play."

Stanton playing in the outfield has been discussed practically all season, dating back to spring training. The 31-year-old has settled into a routine in the designated hitter spot since being traded to the Yankees a few years ago, coming off eight seasons with the Marlins where he was exclusively an outfielder. 

Playing in a grand total of 41 games over the last two seasons due to injury, it's no surprise that Boone would be hesitant to put Stanton in the field. With the slugger penciled in at DH, and center fielder Aaron Hicks out for the season, Boone has been forced to get creative with his lineups of late, putting Aaron Judge in center on multiple occasions. 

"We'll just have to kind of communicate with G," Boone added. "He's starting to work out in the outfield again, as he's working his way back here. And we'll just see if that becomes a real option for us here in the coming weeks."

Stanton was shagging in the outfield during batting practice before the first two games of the series at Target Field—he'll typically track down fly balls during BP as part of his daily pregame routine—but nothing compares to an in-game situation. Even if Stanton has said in the past that he wants to play outfield, the Yankees are treading carefully, especially when considering the Grade 1 right calf strain Stanton sustained last February while participating in defensive drills in the outfield. 

Asked about the challenges that his defensive limitations present, Stanton explained that he's constantly striving to make sure he's ready to produce whenever his name is called, even if he can't always get consistent at-bats.

"Just got to get in there with high velocity machine work and try to keep my timing down," Stanton said after New York's loss on Thursday night. "I mean, nothing can compare to real live events, but that's the closest thing for me."

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