Giancarlo Stanton’s status for Opening Day is up in the air as he battles tennis elbow-related injuries, and Keith McPherson says that only compounds the need to address third base, which remains a question mark at spring training.
DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Oswald Peraza are expected to compete for the job, and Keith says there will be a hole in the lineup regardless of who wins the competition, which should be more of a storyline than wondering who will make up for the loss of Juan Soto.
“What are they gonna do at third base with this competition between mid, unknown, and washed?” Keith said. “Don’t let the Juan Soto questioning distract you from the fact that the Yankees are trying to get back to the World Series, and there is a huge hole in the infield, and now two holes in the lineup.
“They make other moves that stop them from making moves, then throw their hands in the air. ‘We have DJ LeMahieu for another two years, we can’t possibly trade for another third baseman.’ ‘We signed Marcus Stroman...now we can’t do anything until we get that money off the books.’”
Stanton’s injury only adds to the question marks on this Yankee roster as they look to get back to the World Series, and Keith says the oft-injured slugger has consistently proven that he will show up and thrive when it matters most, and third base should be more of the area of concern than if Stanton will be ready by the end of March.
“I thought, after the postseason he had, he was immune to the criticism,” Keith said. “Nah, you wouldn’t be able to tell by WFAN callers and social media people. ‘Giancarlo Stanton and his contract.’ Who cares?”