Yankees’ Stanton makes debut: ‘Great to be back’

NEW YORK — Hours before making his season debut, Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton was in the batter’s box inside an empty Yankee Stadium on Monday afternoon hitting off a high-speed pitching machine. Atop his list of preparation priorities was being ready to handle elite velocity. That, he believes, will best determine whether he will succeed in his return from tendon injuries in both elbows.

Stanton’s first test, though it came in a loss, was a success: The slugger went 2-for-4 with three hard-hit balls and a double in an 11-inning, 1-0 defeat to the Los Angeles Angels.

“With not as many at-bats under my belt, that’s going to be the most important,” Stanton said of hitting velocity. “Just make sure I’m ready. See the ball early. Normal things you would say midseason, but just emphasize it a little more now.”

Stanton was sidelined through Sunday, missing the Yankees’ first 70 games. He played through a “high level” of joint pain in both elbows in 2024, including during the postseason when he smashed seven home runs in 14 games and was named American League Championship Series MVP, but he was shut down from swinging a bat in January until late March, delaying his readiness for the season.

Batting fifth Monday in his first major league action since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, Stanton received a standing ovation from the home crowd when he was introduced for his first plate appearance. He then hacked away.

He swung at the first pitch he saw — a 96-mph sinker from Angels right-hander Jose Soriano — and cracked a 101.5 mph groundout to the third baseman.

He roped a 111.1 mph line drive single to left field in his second at-bat for his first hit of 2025 and struck out swinging in his third at-bat before clobbering a 102.9 mph leadoff double down the left-field line in the ninth inning.

Stanton’s night ended there when Jasson Dominguez replaced him at second base as a pinch-runner. The Yankees wound up spoiling the scoring opportunity. They have gone 20 innings without scoring a run, a skid that goes back to the ninth inning of a loss to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

“It’s great to be back,” Stanton said. “Obviously, want to win, but it’s good to be back out there. I saw the ball pretty well besides one at-bat. So we’re just working on that, making sure my timing’s geared up and get rolling.”

Stanton, 35, was eligible for reinstatement from the 60-day injured list in late May, but the Yankees, not desperate for offense and with multiple choices for DH, did not rush him back.

He began a rehab assignment last week, appearing in three games over consecutive days for Double-A Somerset after an extended period taking swings off machines and in live batting practice. He went 3-for-11 with a double, four RBIs, a walk and three strikeouts for Somerset.

The Yankees have 16 games over the next 16 days, but manager Aaron Boone does not expect Stanton, whose 429 career home runs lead all active players, to play every day. Stanton’s availability will partly depend on his next-day recovery after a game.

“I would think that things might come up from time to time and that could play into different things on a given day if you feel like it’s best to give him a day,” Boone said. “But I think he’s built some good momentum here over the last couple of months with it. The strength in his hands and things like that has returned in a good way so certainly something we’ll pay attention to but feel like we’re in a pretty good spot.”

Boone has the luxury to play it on the safer side with an offense that thrived without Stanton, the 2017 National League MVP. The Yankees entered Monday ranked second in the majors with a 123 weighted runs created plus and .794 OPS with Ben Rice, Aaron Judge and Dominguez primarily cycling through the DH spot.

That’s where things become complicated for New York. Stanton’s return will, as it stands, present a daily lineup puzzle for Boone to solve — not only in the DH slot, but in the outfield where he has Judge plus three players (Dominguez, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham) for two spots (center field and left field). Decisions will mostly come down to workload and matchups.

Paul Goldschmidt, another former MVP, and Domínguez, one of baseball’s top prospects entering the season, were the odd players out Monday, though both entered the game late.

“I’ve talked to them, and we know what the goal is,” Boone said. “And right now it’s to get to the playoffs and try and win a division and then obviously from there, trying to get to and win a World Series. So, making sure we have everyone on the same page and the buy-in. And there’s going to be days when maybe a guy deserves to be in there, isn’t. Everyone’s not going to be happy about it all the time and that’s OK.”

Said Stanton: “Whatever is best for us to win, that’s important. And the guys that are going to be starting are going to come in huge pinch-hit spots. So, in that opportunity, it’s usually a chance to win a game anyway so, yeah, we’ll work with it.”

Stanton’s return perhaps most impacts Rice, who has started 43 of the Yankees’ 71 games as their DH. The second-year player, who started at first base Monday, is batting .229 with 12 home runs and a .769 OPS this season.

Boone on Monday repeated that he plans to occasionally have Rice start at catcher to alleviate the logjam and get his bat in the lineup more often.

Rice, 26, was drafted as a catcher and spent most of his minor league career behind the plate, but he has yet to start at the position for the Yankees since making his major league debut last season. Rice has tallied just 6⅔ innings behind the plate in the majors.

Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra have split time at catcher this season, with Wells starting 52 of the team’s 70 games behind the dish.

“I see him playing quite a bit,” Boone said of Rice. “Again, just kind of the matchups. As far as the catching component, I do plan on getting him back there at some point. I don’t know how frequent it would be. Because, again, I really value what J.C.’s done back there. As you’ve seen lately, I do value getting Austin his days so there’ll be a day I get him back there and that can factor into things a little bit.”

The Yankees designated utility man Pablo Reyes for assignment to make room on the active roster for Stanton.

Also Monday, Boone said right-hander Jake Cousins is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery Wednesday.

Cousins spent the first three years of his big league career with the Milwaukee Brewers before joining New York last season. Cousins became a significant part of New York’s bullpen, posting a 2.37 ERA across 37 games during the regular season before allowing five runs in six postseason appearances.

The Yankees expected Cousins to return before the All-Star break when he was placed on the injured list with a forearm strain to begin the season. But his recovery was stalled by a pectoral injury and he was pulled off a recent rehab assignment with elbow trouble. He is now expected to miss a significant portion of the 2026 season.