Giancarlo Stanton is missing from the Yankees lineup yet again.
Stanton suffered a quad strain in Game 1 in Houston which caused him to miss the next two games of the ALCS. New York lost both those games, and now Aaron Boone's team might not have Stanton once again on Thursday night. He's not in the lineup for Game 4, but he will be available off the bench.
Here's how the Yankees will lineup when they try to even the series with the Astros.
Let's get back to it. #NextManUp pic.twitter.com/pFXlw4eRSU
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 17, 2019Stanton had come out onto the field at Yankee Stadium with training staff to test out his quad injury. The tests consisted of him attempting to run the bases, but he clearly wasn't at full speed and looked slightly uncomfortable. Not long later, the lineup was released sans Stanton.
The 29-year-old slugger has had a nightmare with injuries this season. He only played in 18 games during the regular season as he suffered from various ailments, including strains in his bicep and knee.
Stanton's continued absence brings up the question of whether the Yankees would be better server if they replaced him on the ALCS roster. If they choose to do so, they can only replace him with another position player, but Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that "as of now" there are no plans to remove him from the roster.
Things were looking up for Stanton after he had some decent at-bats against the Twins and homered in Game 1 against the Astros. But he had tweaked something in his quad running to first base in the second inning of the series opener, and the soreness didn't apparently hit him until later in the game.
The rest of the Yankees lineup is about as expected. Aaron Hicks bats third as he gets his second start of the series after returning from a lengthy injury absence. Gleyber Torres is in the cleanup spot for the first time this postseason.
If the home team's bats don't wake up, they could soon find themselves facing a 3-1 series deficit. The Bronx Bombers have only scored three runs over the last two contests.
