HOUSTON — Giancarlo Stanton’s return to (relative) good health lasted just oneꦏ💙 game.
With the Yankees🌜’ season on the line Saturdaᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚy night in American League Championship Series Game 6 at Minute Maid 💮Park, they went with a Stanton-less lineup for the fourth time, starting Edwin Encarnacion at designateꦰd hitter.
Aaron Boone, in ✅e✱xplaining the decision, said that Stanton’s physical condition did not serve as the sole factor.
“Even though Edwin has had some tough games, [I] still feel like he’s got a chance to really impact things,” Boone said. “[I] felt like I wanted him in there today and wanted to keep the infield alignment the same. So it was really just deciding between two really good players.”
In other words, Boone didn’t want to start Encarnacion — who had slashed a woeful .067/.222/133 through the first four games of this series, then sat out Game 5 as Stanton played — at first base, which would likely shift DJ LeMahieu to third base and Gio Urshela to the bench.
Boone continued: “And in G’s case, first game back from the injury that he’s still battling with, late game, getting in [Houston] in the middle of the night and stuff. So it was a decision for me, feel like there’s potentially a big spot for him off the bench still. And the good thing is that it’s a tough decision because I’ve got two really good players.”
The Yankees’ decision to remove Stanton from their lineup marks the latest chapter in what has been an absolutely nightmarish second campaign for the 2017 National League Most Valuable Player. He played in just 18 regular-💙season games thanks to an array of injuries, putting up a .288/.403/.492 slash line with three home runs.
This series, he has b🔜een plagued by a strained right quadriceps, an injury he suffered in Game 1 while legging out an infield hit. Even though he hit a solo homer off the Astros’ Zack Greinke laꦯter in that game, Stanton couldn’t play in the subsequent three contests, finally working his way back to action for Friday night’s Game 5 at Yankee Stadium.
The 29-year-old neither looked good or performed well in the Yankees’ 4-1 victory over the Astros, going 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts — the first one in the first inning, with teammates on second and third and no outs — against the Astros’ Justin Verlander.