TAMPA — Giancarlo Stanton checked his first spring homer off his to-do list on Saturday, driving a Paolo Espino fastball over the wall in left at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
A thunderous crack of the bat sent the ball flying 425 feet at 116 mph and scored two for the Yankees in the third inning of a 10-9 win over the Blue Jays. A no-doubter, Stanton took a peek at the ball before jogging around the bases.
While the home run — and the noise it made — grabbed attention, Aaron Boone focused on some of Stanton’s other recent at-bats when asked about the slugger postgame.
“I feel like the at-bats the last few games, he’s been in a pretty good spot. I feel like he’s just missed a handful,” the manager said. “I feel like he’s been getting off those swings and, for the most part, being in control of his at-bats, which I like to see with him. If he’s controlling his at-bats and not getting off timing and chasing, then he’s as dangerous as they come.”
Boone is right: Stanton has been hitting well lately.
While he is only batting .250 overall this spring, Stanton has picked up multiple hits in three of his last four games. That stretch included two doubles, 11 total bases and two strikeouts.
It’s a small stretch of success for a 34-year-old in desperate need of a healthy, bounce-back season.
Stanton, who has been hitting fifth or sixth when the Yankees use their best lineups this spring, slashed just .191/.275/.420 with 24 home runs and 60 RBI in 2023 while a hamstring strain limited him to 101 games. The former MVP has produced a .202/.286/.442 slash line and league-average 100 OPS+ since the start of the 2022 season, and fastballs have been a problem for him over that time.
But Stanton, who has been plagued by lower body injuries, came into camp with a tweaked swing and in transformed shape. While his muscle is still there, he slimmed down after a healthy offseason that included more movement-based exercises and running than he’s done in the past.
Earlier this spring, Stanton said that he hopes the changes will allow him to “be a baseball player again.”
“I just needed to be more mobile. A lot of setbacks kept me not moving the way I’d like to be,” he said. “I gotta stay on the field. The start-stopping is not ideal and it hasn’t been. I’m here to play, not be on the sidelines, so that’s never ideal.”
The Yankees are also hoping that Stanton’s leaner look will make him an occasionally reliable option in the outfield. The team has said this before, only for Stanton to rarely play the field while doing so inadequately.
A designated hitter for most of his pinstriped career, Stanton has played right field in three of his 10 spring games this season.
If Stanton can help in the outfield, that would give the Yankees some flexibility with the DH spot. However, simply keeping him healthy is the top priority.
Boone would like to see Stanton play in 130 games this year, something he hasn’t done since 2021 and has only done twice since joining the Yankees before the 2018 season.
“I still think he’s capable of a lot,” Boone said. “The challenge will be keeping him healthy all year and in a good place. If we can get 130 uninterrupted [games], that’d be pretty good. If we can do that, I still think a big season’s in there.”