In an opening week of frustrations and lackluster performances, the Yankees just took another significant hit to their already injury-depleted roster. The team placed Giancarlo Stanton on the IL with a left biceps strain and recalled outfielder Clint Frazier.
Stanton, 29, played pretty well in the Opening Series against Baltimore when you take a look at his OBP sitting at .600. Despite no power numbers yet, he did walk a whopping seven times which is more than impressive. However, now he’ll be sidelined for possibly the whole month of April.
After all, Gary Sanchez suffered the same injury in the beginning of the 2017 season on April 8th and wouldn’t return until May 8th.
If you’re looking for a possible timetable for Stanton’s return. When Gary Sanchez went down in 2017 with a right bicep strain, his timetable for return was 4 weeks.
— Dan Rourke (@DanAlanRourke) April 1, 2019
In the meantime, the Yankees recalled Clint Frazier to take his place — and make no mistake. This IS an opportunity that the 24-year-old cannot afford to waste. After making his MLB debut in July of 2017, Frazier has dealt with numerous injuries that have derailed his big-league time. Now, it looks like he’ll have a month’s worth of playing time in the Bronx to prove himself as a capable everyday outfielder.
As for the rest of the Yankee lineup, they should still have enough offense to get by — that is assuming Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez can stay healthy in Stanton’s absence.