Top-heavy Yankees lineup thinned after injury to Giancarlo Stanton

Brian Cashman certainly didn’t get any humility points when he shocked us all by saying in the GM meetings in November that Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton was going to get hurt. GMs don’t typically make negative predictions about their players, especially marquee players, but Cashman was proven right. Stanton’s pain is unfortunately becoming predictable.

And, say what you want about Stanton – and even his own GM apparently did! -His absence due to a hamstring problem hurts him as much as it does him.

He may not be the guy who once hit 59 home runs, but he’s undoubtedly the third of three big threats in a star-infused lineup that has driven in more runs than all but the Orioles and Dodgers. He is also the active home run leader with 420 and was on pace to reach 37 in 2024.

Fans and even his own front office may, and have, criticized Stanton, but he clearly worked out all winter to get lean and look as fit as any other player in MLB (Also to his credit, Stanton is always a stand-up guy, regardless of wallop, whiff or even injury). They destroy him, but now they can all learn how much they will miss him.

Manager Aaron Boone said, “He’s the power you want in the middle.” “He has been making threats every day.”

Putting aside the fact that Boone is preternaturally more diplomatic than almost anyone (not just Cashman), he’s right. The lineup looks ominous with Stanton. Without him, not so much.

The Yankees described Stanton’s hamstring strain as “mild” after an MRI examination, but declined to officially provide a timetable. In the first game without him, played against the Braves in Atlanta-style weather (i.e. muggy and dirty) in front of a packed stadium crowd, the Yankees lost 3–1.

This could be against the legendary Max Fried. But presumably the lineup Boone has written now appears to be hitting a wall somewhere around that middle, at least based on current stats.

That’s why the Yankees selected J.D. Davis on Sunday. Although it doesn’t look great that he was practically DFAed by Homeless A, it also looks like he could use help. Boone said Davis could be part of a platoon, which suggested he would play first base, but third base could also use a boost.

A friend once said of ex-Mate Davis that the trade with the Yankees “furious” him, but that’s just his nature. He is always excited.

The Yankees were hoping that they would not have to worry about the status of players at the deadline, and would focus on a pen that is in constant change. But with injuries to Anthony Rizzo and now Stanton and struggles in the bottom half of the order, they have little options now.

Gleyber Torres batted fifth Sunday, amid a nightmare season.

Two-time batting champion DJ LeMahieu, who has zero extra-base hits since returning from the latest foot issue (.185 slugging percentage), was sixth.

Exciting rookie Ben Rice was next, followed by catchers Jose Trevino, who was having a good season, and Trent Grisham, who was hitting .136 after two hits on Sunday.

One AL scout said, “The problem is that when you take out your five- and six-hole hitters, you replace them with guys lower in the order.” “So your new five- and six-hole hitters are Torres and LeMahieu and they both are (struggling) now. Their lineup looks like a top four finish can get it done and that’s about it. And wait until the judge goes down.”

(Me: Not only is Judge completely healthy, he’s easily the AL MVP by now.)

The Yankees have a great record and great team statistics, but let’s face it, this team is underwhelming at the top. And Stanton’s absence weighs them down even more.

Of course, it’s a blessing that the Yankees have the top two MVP candidates (or 1st and 3rd if you prefer Gunnar Henderson over Juan Soto). But Stanton’s injury is the latest reminder of how dependent they are on two megastars.

Aaron Judge and Soto combined to account for 57 percent of the home runs and 48 percent of the RBIs in Sunday’s lineup. And even Soto has been like that for the past few days.

As for Stanton’s injury, Boone seemed quite optimistic (he’s naturally optimistic, too!). Another Yankees person (not Cashman) said it was not encouraging that Stanton’s injury occurred while moving at three-quarters speed on a scoring play (wisely, he plays it with caution based on history). As far as Cashman is concerned, he has not yet contributed.

What he said in November, for which Cashman had to provide clarification to Stanton’s agent Joel Wolfe, was this: “I’m not going to tell you he’s going to play every game next year because he’s not. He is more likely to get injured again because it seems to be part of his game.

Before Stanton revealed that doctors were predicting four weeks for him, Boone declined to give a timetable for Stanton, which seems prudent considering how often teams underestimate players’ pain. . Well, probably not Cashman, who unfortunately is batting 1,000 here.