Giancarlo Stanton had arguably the worst year of his career in 2023, batting just .191 with 24 home runs in 101 games.
Missing 61 games is not out of the ordinary for Stanton, who has struggled to stay healthy for a full season since missing extended time in 2019, his second year with the Yankees. At this point, even general manager Brian Cashman seems resigned to the fact that the oft-injured slugger will miss time every season for the rest of his career, and for the Yankees, it will be about damage control.
"We try to limit the time he’s down," Cashman said, via Gary Phillips of the Daily News. "But I’m not gonna tell you he’s gonna play every game next year because he’s not. He’s going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game."
“He’s injury-prone. We all have lived and known that, but he’s never not hit when he’s playing, and this year is the first time that that’s happened.”
The Yankees, if they are not going to dump Stanton, will have to figure out a way to maximize his at-bats, and his production, as he enters his age-34 season. He is still signed for four more years, and the Yankee lineup looks a lot different when he is at his best. The issue is keeping him healthy long enough to get into a rhythm to where he unlocks that ability to carry an offense. That will be the challenge for the Yankees in 2024 and beyond.
"I know that when he’s right and healthy, other than this past year, the guy’s a great hitter," Cashman said, via Phillips, "And has been for a long time."