Stanton gives update on elbow injuries and what¡¯s next

TAMPA, Fla. ¨C Set for a third round of platelet-rich plasma injections, Giancarlo Stanton said Saturday his tendon injuries are considered ¡°severe in both elbows,¡± which he attributes to ¡°bat adjustments¡± from last season. The Yankees designated hitter said he is unsure when he can resume baseball activities.

Stanton returned to Yankees camp Friday after 11 days in New York to deal with a personal matter, which he said is ¡°in the process¡± of being resolved. While away, Stanton had two rounds of PRP treatments to address the issue that has kept him from swinging a bat since mid-January. A third set of injections will be administered Monday.

¡°Let¡¯s finish the treatment and go from there,¡± Stanton said. ¡°I absolutely hate this. I¡¯m going to get back as soon as possible.¡±

Stanton has said he was playing through pain in both elbows for most of last season, including during the playoffs, when he earned MVP honors by hitting four home runs in the American League Championship Series against the Guardians.

He has been attempting what he called an ¡°interesting¡± course of treatment in hopes of avoiding surgery, which Stanton said would be season-ending. Stanton said, at this time, he lacks grip strength and is ¡°having trouble picking things up¡± in day-to-day life. He has not swung a bat since mid-January.

¡°It¡¯s going to get to a point of pain tolerance and go from there,¡± Stanton said. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be a 100 percent healed thing and start up. It¡¯ll be, get to a point and just deal with it, similar to last year.¡±

Asked if he expects to deal with elbow issues for the rest of his career, Stanton replied: ¡°Ideally no, but I¡¯m in the line of work that you¡¯ve got to use them at a high level every day, so who knows?¡±

With no set timeline for Stanton¡¯s return, manager Aaron Boone has suggested Aaron Judge could see increased duty in the DH role. The Yankees¡¯ in-house DH options other than Judge include Ben Rice, Dom Smith, J.C. Escarra and Everson Pereira.

Stanton¡¯s return to camp coincided with concerning injury news regarding ace right-hander Gerrit Cole, who has undergone diagnostic testing on his ailing right elbow. Right-hander Luis Gil and infielder DJ LeMahieu are also among those set to begin the season on the injured list.

¡°It¡¯s a long year,¡± Stanton said. ¡°These [injuries] happen throughout the year. You don¡¯t want them to happen off the bat, but you understand and consider they happen every year, unfortunately, to a different number of guys. It¡¯s just the mentality of hold the fort down until everybody gets healthy.¡±