Yankees very close to getting Giancarlo Stanton back

Giancarlo Stanton is nearing a return from the injured list, meaning the inconsistent Yankees offense is on the cusp of getting back one of its best run producers.

Stanton was hitting .246 with 18 home runs and 45 RBIs in 69 games when he suffered a left hamstring strain and was removed from the game on June 22. At the time, he was on a 10-game hitting streak in which he had a .378/.439/.649 slash line with three home runs and nine RBIs.

The Yankees entered Friday night's game against the Rays at 6-13 since he went on the IL and have tried a few options in the cleanup spot in the order with far less production.

Before Friday’s game at the Stadium, Stanton ran the bases and did on-field agility drills. Manager Aaron Boone said he no longer is restricted from any baseball activities and that the team expects to make a determination about whether he will need a minor league rehab assignment  during the weekend.

“We're getting to that point where he's really close,” Boone said. “We'll probably circle up and get a course of action this weekend, as far as if he's going to play in a rehab game or when that is. But he's definitely really close.”

The Yankees had Alex Verdugo hitting in the cleanup spot on Friday for the 11th time since Stanton’s injury. They also have tried Gleyber Torres, Ben Rice and J.D. Davis in the spot.

“Somebody’s got to grab that, you know?” Boone said. “With Giancarlo going down, we’re just a little thin.”

Past performance is never a predictor of future outcomes, but when Stanton came back from brief rehab assignments during the previous two seasons, he wasn’t nearly the producer he’d been before the injury.

He spent 46 days on the IL in 2023 with a left hamstring injury and did a one-game rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset. Before the injury, his slash line in 13 games was .269/.296/.588. In the 88 games after the rehab assignment, it was .179/.272/.398.

Stanton was on the IL twice in 2022 with ankle inflammation and left Achilles tendinitis — going on a two-game minor league rehab assignment after the second stint — and got progressively worse. His slash line before he first got injured was .285/.339/.523 in 40 games. He came back without a rehab and played 40 games with a .167/.277/.471 line. After his second comeback and the rehab stint, it was .165/.266/.367 in 30 games.

Boone was asked if those drop-offs are  something to consider as the Yankees make this weekend’s decision.

“We're hoping that the injury was minor enough this go-round and a little bit different that he's in a better spot returning physically,” Boone said. “Hopefully he hits the ground running. We’re talking about one to two times where things have happened. That doesn't define everything. We feel like he's in a good spot. I think he does. And so you’ve got to trust in it.”

Stanton was in one of his most productive stretches of the season when he got hurt.  “There's no question going through this, especially the consistency with what he was showing, we certainly have missed him,'' Boone said. "Looking forward to getting [that] back.”

Notes & quotes: On Saturday, righthanded starter Clarke Schmidt will throw off a mound for the first time since suffering a lat strain in late May, when he was 5-3 with a 2.52 ERA in 11 starts. The plan is to throw 20 pitches, including fastballs and breaking pitches. Now pain-free, he said, “I feel very confident . . . physically where I am and, mentally, there are no roadblocks as far as holding back.” . . . Utilityman Jon Berti suffered what Boone called a “minor setback” in his return from a left calf strain and will return to New York for a PRP injection this weekend . . . Boone said  catcher Jose Trevino, out with a Grade 2 left quadriceps strain, is progressing faster than expected and has done some light running.

By Roger Rubin

roger.rubin@newsday.com@rogrubin

Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.