Just when Giancarlo Stanton was getting back in the swing of things, his latest setback is expected to keep him off the field for the next month.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday the star slugger is unlikely to return from his knee injury in July and that August is a "sweet spot" for getting him back in the lineup.
Cashman said “it’s going to be a while” for Stanton, and called August “the sweet spot” to get him back playing again. Anything earlier would be a bonus. https://t.co/JtSGPi8yYs
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) June 27, 2019
Cashman told reporters after Wednesday's game that Stanton went back on the injured list with a strained posterior cruciate ligament. The injury means Stanton did not travel with the team to London for its historic series against the Red Sox this weekend.
Mike Tauchman will replace Giancarlo Stanton on the 25-man roster in London. Thairo Estrada is the 26th man. Kyle Higashioka and Chance Adams are the standby additions.
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) June 26, 2019
Manager Aaron Boone added that Stanton will be reevaluated in 10 days, indicating he'll be spending longer than the minimum time on the IL.
Stanton was pulled from Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Blue Jays before the fourth inning with what the team announced as a right knee contusion. He later underwent an MRI exam for further evaluation of the knee.
Stanton suffered the injury while running the bases in the bottom of the first inning, specifically when he was tagged out sliding into third base on the back end of a double play. Stanton remained in the game and attempted to play through the pain but was eventually replaced by Brett Gardner.
Tired: Around the horn
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) June 25, 2019
Wired: Across the horn? 😅 pic.twitter.com/tIPzQLkKDF
The injury comes just days after Stanton hit his first home run of the season in Monday's win over Toronto. He had previously been limited to just nine games after falling out of the Yankees lineup on March 31 with a biceps strain and going on the IL.