Giancarlo Stanton

14 April 2025

Close to taking live at-bats

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Stanton (elbow) continues to hit against a high-velocity Trajekt machine and is "getting close" to facing live pitching, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Analysis

Stanton didn't take part in baseball activities during spring training and opened the season on the injured list after requiring three rounds of platelet-rich plasma injections to address torn tendons in both of his elbows. He resumed swinging a bat shortly before Opening Day, and while he's still experiencing some lingering pain in his elbows, it's apparently more manageable than it had been previously, according to MLB.com. Stanton will take an important step forward in the recovery process when he's officially cleared to face live pitching, but a definitive timeline for his return from the IL likely won't be established until he reaches the point that he's able to take at-bats as a designated hitter in minor-league rehab games.