Giancarlo Stanton will head into the Yankees’ 2027 camp with his contract intact, his health newly restored and no promised place in Aaron Boone’s everyday lineup. For a player once viewed as a straightforward path to the 500-homer club, the bigger question is whether New York can get enough days from him to make that chase matter.
Stanton, who turns 37 in November, finished 2026 with 456 career home runs. He hit .256 with three homers and 14 RBIs over 24 games, a season repeatedly interrupted by calf trouble after elbow injuries had limited him to 77 games in 2025.
His 13-year, $325 million agreement, signed with Miami in November 2014, has one season remaining. Stanton is due $29 million in 2027, with the Marlins responsible for $10 million of that amount. The Yankees are expected to carry him through the winter, but the designated-hitter job is not being held for him.
A season spent trying to get back
Stanton put in heavy work against the Trajekt pitching machine while trying to stay ready during his absences. By October, he was taking regular afternoon batting practice on the field, showing enough progress to return for the American League Division Series. His postseason amounted to two pinch-hit appearances, both ending in strikeouts.
The first major setback arrived April 24 in Houston, when Stanton felt his right calf give way while jogging between bases. The Yankees initially anticipated a brief absence and played several games before placing him on the injured list four days later in Arlington. It became his seventh trip to the IL since 2021.
As a June activation approached, Stanton hurt the same calf again while running the bases at Yankee Stadium. Then came an August injury to his left calf, an issue initially viewed as potentially season-ending.
Boone said Stanton could have gone home after the August injury, but the veteran remained around the club and continued his rehabilitation in case a return became possible. The manager described 2026 as an especially difficult season of soft-tissue and lower-body injuries, while emphasizing Stanton’s commitment to preparing his body.
Brian Cashman said the string of injuries was deeply frustrating for Stanton. The general manager said Stanton’s makeup, leadership and effort have never been questioned; keeping him available to help the Yankees win games has been the problem.
The DH picture is crowded
New York’s roster construction may leave Stanton competing for at-bats rather than simply resuming his old role. Cashman called the DH position open, and Boone said the club will have a clearer view only when camp opens in Tampa.
Ben Rice handled much of the designated-hitter workload in 2026, making 424 plate appearances in the role. Rice had been pushed away from first base after the Yankees acquired Luis García Jr. in August.
García could enter the second-base discussion if Jazz Chisholm Jr. departs through free agency, though his previous club, the Nationals, had concerns about his defensive work there. Boone said using García at second is at least a possibility.
Aaron Judge’s health also could reshape the Yankees’ DH usage. Judge missed 100 of the club’s 166 games, postseason included, largely because of a fractured right rib suffered on a diving outfield attempt. He does not want to become a full-time designated hitter, but the Yankees know preserving his bat is essential after watching their offense dip during his absence.
That leaves Stanton in a familiar but uncertain spot: still capable of changing a game when healthy, yet needing to prove that he can stay in the lineup long enough to do it. Cashman said the Yankees know what Stanton can produce at full strength and hope to have a healthy version of him available in 2027.
