New York Yankees star Giancarlo Stanton left his team's road game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday with a tight left hamstring, per Meredith Marakovits of YES Network.
Aaron Boone told reporters after the game Stanton is likely headed for a stint on the injured list.
Stanton was limited to 18 games in the regular season and five playoff appearances for the Yankees in 2019. The arc of his season dovetailed with that of the Yankees, who had their players spend a collective 2,924 days on the injured list, the highest in MLB, per Spotrac.
New York probably thought its luck would turn around in 2020. Then Luis Severino underwent Tommy John surgery in February, and general manager Brian Cashman confirmed the pair of Stanton and Aaron Judge were expected to miss Opening Day.
Granted, that was before the COVID-19 pandemic pushed Opening Day until well into the summer.
The Yankees are blessed with a wealth of depth on offense, and they managed to win 103 games and claim a division title amid their injury crisis last season.
The Boston Red Sox also took a step backward in the offseason when they traded Mookie Betts and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers, eliminating one competitor for a division crown. Without Stanton, New York still has a chance of repeating as American League East champions.
But the team had high hopes for the 2017 MVP when it acquired him from the Miami Marlins. The four-time All-Star will continue falling short of expectations if he's sidelined once again.
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