NEW YORK — Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton went on the injured list for the eighth time in six seasons Sunday, a day after straining his left hamstring.
A 34-year-old former MVP, Stanton left Saturday night’s 8-3 win over the Atlanta Braves and was scheduled to undergo imaging Sunday. Stanton doubled off the center-field wall in the fourth inning and winced when he rounded third base on Gleyber Torres‘ double. Trent Grisham pinch hit for Stanton leading off the sixth.
Stanton missed 266 of 708 games (38%) over the past five seasons.
He appeared to be walking gingerly as he exited the locker room Saturday night.
“Obviously he’s dealt with these kind of things in the past,” manager Aaron Boone said. “So hopefully it’s not something that keeps him down too long.”
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had said Nov. 13 at the annual GM meetings: “He’s going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game.”
When a visibly slimmer Stanton reported to spring training, he said succinctly: “He knows my reaction to that.”
Stanton played in 69 of the Yankees’ first 79 games this season — none in the field — and is hitting .246 with 18 homers and 45 RBIs. The active leader in home runs with 420, he is in the midst of his healthiest season with the Yankees since he played in 158 games in 2018, his first after he was acquired from the Miami Marlins.
He missed 266 games the previous five seasons due to a strained right biceps and strained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee (2019), strained left hamstring (2020), strained left quadriceps (2021), right ankle inflammation and left Achilles tendinitis (2022) and a strained left hamstring (2023).
“He’s been such a force for this offense,” said Aaron Judge, who hit his major-league-leading 28th homer in the first inning. “Hitting the homers, coming up clutch with guys on base — that’s a big part of his game. Hopefully we get some good news.”
In a corresponding roster move, the Yankees recalled infielder Oswald Peraza from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
New York, which began Sunday a big league best 52-27, had been relatively healthy early in the season. Infielder DJ LeMahieu didn’t make his season debut until May 28 after breaking his right foot on a foul ball during spring training on March 16, and American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole didn’t make his first start until June 19 because of right elbow nerve inflammation and edema.
Right-hander Clarke Schmidt went on the IL on May 27 because of a right lat strain, and first baseman Anthony Rizzo broke his right forearm in a collision at Fenway Park on June 16.