How the Yankees can avoid letting Giancarlo Stanton’s injury derail their season

The New York Yankees barged into spring training seeking redemption after collapsing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. They understood the long season ahead would be different without Juan Soto, who chose the Mets in free agency after being the second-best hitter in the Yankees' American League pennant-winning lineup, but they still felt good about their chances thanks to a new roster injected with splashy free-agent additions. 

It didn't take long for their depth to be tested. 

With Opening Day in the Bronx just over three weeks away, the Yankees will start the season without two key players: designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (tennis elbows) and starting pitcher Luis Gil (high grade right lat strain). Gil could spend three or more months on the injured list, while the timetable for Stanton's absence remains unclear. This marks the sixth straight season that Stanton will spend time on the IL. He hasn't played a full season since 2018, his first year with the Yankees. 

It's hardly a shock that Stanton, entering his age-35 season, is already sidelined — but it's still a huge blow to the Yankees' Soto-less offense, and another bump in the slugger's path to 500 career home runs. Stanton leads all active hitters with 429 career homers, and he's just 24 long balls away from passing Carl Yastrzemski into 40th place on the all-time list. After that? His next stop could be the Hall of Fame. 

"Knowing you've got No. 27 lurking on deck behind you, it always helps you out," Aaron Judge told reporters at George M. Steinbrenner Field last week. "It's going to be a tough blow, you can't replace him."

Ahead of the 2024 season, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said it's only a matter of time before Stanton runs