Giancarlo Stanton says it's 'unacceptable' that he keeps getting injured so often
Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees strikes out during the fourth inning against the Phillies at Yankee Stadium on April 4. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Giancarlo Stanton feels your pain, Yankees fans. Because it’s his pain.
In his first comments since suffering yet another leg injury, a disconsolate Stanton on Thursday called it “unacceptable” that he keeps getting hurt.
Stanton, who is expected to miss six weeks with a strained left hamstring, said: “It's unacceptable (to be injured) this often, right now. The team relies on me and I can't have this continue to happen and put us in a really tough spot, put us in a spot that we weren't prepared for. There's guys to fill the roles that’ll do just fine, but at the same time, it's my duty and responsibility to be out there.”
Stanton and the Yankees have tried everything to keep him from getting the leg injuries that cause him to miss huge swaths of seasons. Nothing has worked.
“I can’t control it but at the same time it shouldn't be happening,” Stanton said. “It's not like, ‘Hey, it'll be OK later.’ I prepare my whole life. This is everything I put in for. So it's very disappointing and frustrating. You want to keep a positive outlook, which I have, but at the same time, it's just so unbelievable.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he understands Stanton’s frustration, but doesn’t agree with the slugger’s wording.
“He feels bad for us,” Boone said, “but I don’t say ‘unacceptable’ because I know the person and what he goes through and how he prepares . . . As long as you’re doing everything possible to put yourself in the best position to be healthy, then it is acceptable.”
Yanks sign Kole Calhoun
The Yankees signed outfielder Kole Calhoun to a minor-league contract. Calhoun, 35, hit 33 home runs for the Angels in 2019 and 16 for Arizona in the COVID-shortened 2020 season but hasn’t been as productive since. In 2022, he hit .196 with 12 home runs and a .587 OPS for Texas. Calhoun will report to the Yankees’ Tampa complex before getting assigned to a minor-league club.
Trainer’s room
Boone said Carlos Rodon (forearm strain) is scheduled to have more scans on his aching back but said the Yankees still believe it’s a minor issue . . . Luis Severino (lat strain) said he felt “great” after throwing 20 pitches on the mound at Yankee Stadium to batters Harrison Bader and Willie Calhoun. Severino will head to Tampa to continue his rehab. Bader (oblique strain) is expected to begin a rehab assignment for Double-A Somerset on Friday.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
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