HOUSTON — It was solely three days in the past that Aaron Boone mentioned Giancarlo Stanton wouldn’t play left discipline on the Astros’ Daikin Park.
“No, I don’t have plans on playing him in left there,” the Yankees supervisor instructed reporters on Saturday in Chicago.
These plans modified in a rush, because the letters “LF” appeared subsequent to Stanton’s title on the Yankees’ lineup card earlier than their series-opener in Houston on Tuesday evening. The slugger final performed left discipline on Sept. 14, 2023 at Boston’s Fenway Park.
“He didn’t think it would be any big deal to move over,” Boone mentioned Tuesday after speaking the choice over with Stanton on Sunday. “I just didn’t want to throw him off of his work, which he didn’t think it would at all.”
Boone added that Stanton most well-liked to play left in Houston.
Stanton returned to proper discipline on Aug. 9 for the primary time since Sept. 9, 2023, and he has been recurrently taking part in the place since then after completely working as a DH in 2024. That’s as a result of Aaron Choose has been restricted to DH duties since getting back from a proper flexor pressure.
Boone has repeatedly mentioned that Choose, working via a throwing program, is “close” to taking part in proper discipline, however that he doesn’t have a goal date. The skipper repeated these sentiments on Tuesday, however he insisted that Choose will return to proper discipline sooner or later.
“We absolutely feel like he’s gonna be back out there,” Boone mentioned. “I do know I preserve saying it’s quickly, and I wholeheartedly really feel that manner proper now sitting right here. I simply don’t know that day but.
“That day is probably just gonna [pop up] out of the blue on us a little bit.”
Stanton, restricted in his mobility after years of lower-body accidents, had solely performed and labored out in proper discipline this season previous to taking pregame fungoes in left on Tuesday. He’s primarily performed proper at Yankee Stadium, the place there’s minimal floor to cowl. Nonetheless, he additionally did so at Tampa’s George M. Steinbrenner Discipline — which has the identical dimensions as Yankee Stadium — and Charge Discipline, residence of the White Sox.
Whereas Daikin Park doesn’t have an unlimited proper discipline, it is much less spacious in left, the place the Crawford Bins jut out from the stands and are simply 315 toes from residence plate. If Choose shouldn’t be prepared for protection by the point the Yankees go to the Purple Sox from Sept. 12-14, Stanton would seemingly play left discipline in entrance of Fenway Park’s Inexperienced Monster for a similar motive.
Whereas Stanton is hardly an elite fielder — he’s at -2 Outs Above Common in proper — he’s held his personal sufficient that any alternative to get his and Choose’s bats within the order is worth it.
Whereas Stanton went hitless over 13 plate appearances towards Chicago — he was robbed of a house run on Sunday — the 35-year-old entered Tuesday’s recreation with a .295/.374/.624 slash line, 17 residence runs, 46 RBI and a 173 wRC+ over 55 video games after lingering tennis elbows delayed the beginning of his season.
Stanton was additionally hitting .321/.455/.698 with six homers and 31 RBI over 66 plate appearances with runners in scoring place, additional incentivizing the Yankees to make use of him within the discipline.
With Stanton in left on Tuesday, Cody Bellinger, the American League Participant of the Week, manned proper.
Initially Printed: September 2, 2025 at 4:58 PM EDT
