Giancarlo Stanton left Yankees camp to return to New York on Monday, and while the Yankees said it is not related to the elbow issues he has been dealing with, they declined to go any further than that.
“I can tell you he is in New York, but it’s personal in nature and I’m going to leave it at that for now,” manager Aaron Boone said Monday in Fort Myers, where the Yankees were set to play the Red Sox at JetBlue Park. “That’s all I can comment on that.”
Stanton arrived back in New York on Monday, but Boone said he did not know when he might return to Tampa, only saying, “hopefully soon.”
Boone indicated nothing had changed with regard to the condition of Stanton’s elbows, as the veteran DH has been dealing with tennis elbow in both arms.
On Sunday, Boone said that there was “nothing imminent” in terms of Stanton resuming baseball activities.
Giancarlo Stanton has returned to New York from spring training.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Through the early days of camp, Stanton has been limited to just doing some light agility drills on a back field.
The 35-year-old said on Feb. 17 that he had not swung a bat in three to four weeks, which put his status to be ready to start the season on time in question.
The Yankees have been trying to let Stanton rest and recover from the elbow issues now — even if it means him not being ready for Opening Day — instead of losing him for a longer stretch during the regular season.
“I’ve been checking in with him every day, talking to him, we went out to dinner,” Aaron Judge said at Steinbrenner Field before Boone spoke in Fort Myers. “He’s got a positive mindset about everything. That’s what spring training is about, making sure we’re ready to go for Opening Day or getting ready for the season. He has some downtime right now to get things right. I want a healthy G in the middle of the season.”
The Yankees have acknowledged that Stanton will have to manage the elbow issues throughout the year, as he did for much of last season.
Giancarlo Stanton rehabs with a trainer during a spring training workout on Feb. 19, 2025.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
He was still able to put together a monster postseason while playing through the pain, but when he went to start his offseason ramp-up, the elbow issues flared up again.
There is little sense in trying to push Stanton at this point on the calendar just to have him playing Grapefruit League games, though it remains to be seen when he will try to start building up again.
“He’s one of the strongest physically I’ve seen and also mentally,” Judge said. “Just to be able to handle the ups and downs of playing in New York and then battling some injuries he’s had throughout the season. I guess [fans] will get on him about missing some games, but this guy is one of the toughest guys, hardest-working guys I’ve ever seen. He’s going to be fine when it comes down to it. It’s just a little bump in the road. Rather have this now than middle of the season.”
