Giancarlo Stanton Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
The Yankees have a logjam at the designated hitter spot in their lineup as it is, but a potentially healthy Giancarlo Stanton provides another wrinkle in that 2027 equation.
The veteran slugger battled ceaseless injury issues in 2026 — double tennis elbow and calf strains — limiting him to just 24 games. He worked his way back to be available in the postseason, mostly as what manager Aaron Boone described as a pinch-hitting “bullet off the bench.”
That was because the DH spot belongs to either Ben Rice, who slugged 41 home runs this season, or Luis Garcia Jr., who was acquired at the trade deadline.
Next season could also see Aaron Judge getting DH days, as the veteran superstar, who will be 35 in April, could probably benefit from some non-defensive days. His 2026 campaign was ruined by a rib injury followed by a calf strain.
That could render Stanton obsolete. He can no longer contribute in the outfield, and doing so would be malpractice given just how many injuries he’s encountered during his Yankees tenure.
“He finished the season healthy, so he enters the winter healthy,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “We know what he’s capable of when he is healthy. We look forward to seeing if we can deploy a healthy version of him next year. But, obviously, that DH spot is up for grabs for other people that could benefit from it at the same time. We’ll have those conversations.”
Stanton is owed $25 million in 2027, though the Yankees are only paying $15 million of it. He then has a club option in his contract for 2028, which Cashman obviously will not exercise.
It would be a significant chunk of change for New York to pay a player who potentially has no place to play. They could designate him for assignment, which is something they did with DJ LeMahieu last year — he was due $22 million in 2025.
That would be a decision that probably comes much closer to the 2027 season, whenever that may begin with a lockout looming on Dec. 1.
“G is a very accountable, responsible, wired-correctly, professional athlete,” Cashman continued. “…He continues to fight through it, as someone who is wired right should. His leadership in there is not a question. His care factor is not in question; it’s just, obviously, keeping him on the field so he can help us in that win column. It was a huge problem for us, especially in 2026.
“I can’t tell you how this roster is going to shake out as we enter this winter and assess what is available for us. I hope he becomes a legitimate choice once again for Aaron Boone to play with when he puts lineups together on a daily basis. But we’ll see.”
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