The Yankees announced that they’ve placed slugger Giancarlo Stanton on the 10-day injured list. Infielder Oswald Peraza was recalled to the big league roster in the corresponding move, as first reported by El Extrabase’s Daniel Alvarez-Montes.
Stanton, 34, departed Saturday’s game against the Braves in the top of the sixth inning after feeling tightness in his left hamstring while running the bases earlier in the game. Manager Aaron Boone indicated to reporters, including The Athletic’s Brandon Kuty, after the game that Stanton was scheduled to undergo tests to determine the severity of the issue but noted that Stanton was in “good spirits” and that the club was hopeful the issue wasn’t too serious.
The results of Stanton’s testing are not yet known, although the club evidently believes that he’ll need to miss at least the next 10 days before he can return to action. Being cautious with Stanton, who has a long history of lower half injuries, is understandable given the risk of aggravating the hamstring further if he were to attempt to play through the injury.
Even so, it’s a frustrating turn of events for both Stanton and the Yankees given the veteran’s resurgence at the plate. Long one of the game’s most feared sluggers, Stanton posted relatively pedestrian numbers over the past two seasons, slashing just .202/.286/.442. That production was only good for a 103 wRC+ that’s essentially league average, and not particularly close to the value the Yankees were hoping to get from a full-time DH who they pay an average of $25M to annually. The veteran’s production in 69 games this season has been far closer to what the Yankees are hoping for from him, as he’s impressed with a .246/.302/.492 slash line (126 wRC+) while crushing 18 home runs in just 281 trips to the plate.
New York will have to go without that strong production in the middle of their lineup for at least the foreseeable future, delivering another blow to an offense that has generally struggled to produce outside of star sluggers Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. With Stanton shelved, it’s possible the Yankees could look to improve their outfield defense by placing Trent Grisham in center field, kicking Judge back over to his native right field while allowing Soto to move into a DH role. Grisham has struggled to a wRC+ of just 71 at the plate this year, though his quality work with the glove could still make him a more attractive option than relying on Oswaldo Cabrera (78 wRC+) or DJ LeMahieu (51 wRC+) outside of their current role splitting time at third base.
Taking Stanton’s place on the roster is Peraza, who has been sidelined for almost the entire season to this point due to a shoulder strain. In 28 games at the Triple-A level since returning from injury, Peraza has struggled to a .178/.313/.215 slash line that suggests he’s unlikely to be the solution for replacing Stanton’s production offensively. But former consensus top-50 prospect would likely be the club’s best defensive option at third base and could free LeMahieu and Cabrera up for more frequent appearances at DH or first base, where youngster Ben Rice has been getting his first taste of big league action while Anthony Rizzo recovers from a fractured forearm.