Stanton (elbows) in 'very high' level of pain; opener in doubt

TAMPA, Fla. -- Giancarlo Stanton¡¯s power was on display throughout October, including during the American League Championship Series, when he hit four homers to earn MVP honors. Behind the scenes, the Yankees designated hitter was dealing with more than most understood.

Stanton has been experiencing discomfort in both elbows, which manager Aaron Boone likened to "tennis elbow" -- an issue that continued through the winter. Stanton has not swung a bat for three to four weeks, saying ¡°the pain was very high¡± and that the issue is ¡°definitely not just soreness.¡±

Boone said Sunday the Yankees will slow-play Stanton through Spring Training, and he is uncertain to be ready for Opening Day.

¡°I was dealing with it last year, so it was a manageable thing,¡± Stanton said. ¡°We¡¯ll just give it as much time as possible before we¡¯ve got to get rolling for a full year here.¡±

Stanton was among the position players reporting to George M. Steinbrenner Field on Sunday morning, where he underwent a mandatory physical exam. The Yankees are set to hold their first full-squad workout on Monday, but as Boone revealed Sunday, Stanton won¡¯t be in action.

¡°He was doing stuff [in the offseason] and then he kind of shut down and got treatments,¡± Boone said. ¡°It¡¯s just something we don¡¯t want to rush, if we can get to a really good spot and know we¡¯re going to have to probably deal with some maintenance with it throughout the year. We don¡¯t want to force anything too early.¡±

Stanton said he is receiving treatment and focusing exercises on his forearms and tissues.

¡°Look, tennis elbow or whatever they call it, [there are] tears in your tendon,¡± Stanton said. ¡°So [if you ask] when did it feel good, when did it feel bad, there¡¯s always a pain level there. You¡¯ve got to deal with that. It¡¯s just the wisest point to give time right now.¡±

Boone said Stanton played through the issue in 2024, and that it especially bothered him after the All-Star break. Stanton¡¯s offense dipped in the second half, batting .210/.292/.446 with nine homers and 27 RBIs in 45 games. He hit .246/.302/.492 with 18 homers and 45 RBIs in 69 first-half games.

But that quickly became forgotten when Stanton added to his resume as an October force, compiling a .273/.339/.709 slash line with three doubles, seven homers and 16 RBIs in 14 postseason games against the Royals, Guardians and Dodgers. Stanton said he was playing through pain to produce those numbers.

¡°It¡¯s what I needed to do,¡± Stanton said. ¡°I¡¯m just happy I was able to be out there, really.¡±

Remaining healthy has been difficult for Stanton, who spent a month on the injured list last season with a left hamstring strain, but most of his issues have been lower body. In the past four years, he has served IL stints due to issues with his left quadriceps, right ankle, left Achilles and twice for the left hamstring.

Should Stanton not be available for Opening Day, Boone could potentially rotate the DH spot among several candidates, including captain Aaron Judge. Boone has said he plans to move Cody Bellinger from center field to right field on days when Judge serves as the DH.

¡°He¡¯s huge for us, especially since we¡¯re a little more left-handed right now,¡± Boone said. ¡°You take a big right-handed bat out of there and you get a little unbalanced there.¡±

Boone said outfielder Trent Grisham has also been dealing with a hamstring strain, sustained during the offseason. Grisham will be ¡°a little bit behind¡± the other position players, according to Boone, who said Grisham was running at close to full speed on Sunday.