It’s Old-Timers’ Day on Saturday at Yankee Stadium and Giancarlo Stanton is turning back the clock by manning the outfield once again.
The slugger will be in right field and bat fourth against the Astros.
Stanton is playing in the outfielder for the first time in nearly two years for the matinee clash against the Astros in The Bronx.
He last played the field on Sept, 14, 2023, starting in left field. Stanton last appeared in right field on Sept. 9, 2023.
“I think just talking with him and seeing his week of work, he feels ready to go do it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Stanton. “Expectations are he catches what he gets to. I’m sure on some level, the range will be limited out there but he’s worked hard this week. Just on his glove work, the little meticulous things that he does to get himself prepared.”
The Yankees are using Stanton in the outfield to allow for both the slugger and Aaron Judge to be in the lineup at the same time while Judge works his way back from his flexor strain.
Judge can serve as a designated hitter for now and is building toward returning to the field, which has limited the Yankees’ lineup since Stanton is the regular designated hitter.
Boone said the team and Judge still doesn’t have a target date for when he’ll return to the field.
“Just gonna listen to him and the trainers as they go through it,” Boone said. “I know he threw yesterday. Seemed to be at least a little bit better than when he threw on Wednesday. I don’t have any timeline right now but we’ll see.”
Stanton has not started any of the last three games. Judge has started each, limited to just pinch-hit appearances Tuesday and during Friday’s 5-3 loss in 10 innings.
Boone had said there was a “pretty good” chance Stanton handled a defensive assignment Saturday and it comes with the Astros starting a pitcher he’s handled in his career.
Stanton is 5-for-11 with one homer and three RBIs against southpaw Framber Valdez.
“There’s always risk when you go play the game,” Boone said before Friday’s loss, the Yankees’ sixth in their last seven games. “We wouldn’t put him in a situation where we feel like there was big-time risk. That said, the game and all that, anything’s possible.
“I do feel like, physically, he’s in a good place to go out and do it on a limited basis.”
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The Yankees enter Saturday just one half-game ahead of the scorching Guardians for the final AL playoff spot and 1 1/2 games ahead of the Rangers.
While Devin Williams has struggled, the lineup has hit a rough patch, too.
The Yankees have scored 14 runs in their last six games, failing to score more than three runs in all but one game and being shut out twice.
