Giancarlo Stanton strains his other calf, season could be over

Giancarlo Stanton's struggles with lower-body injuries continue to derail his season.

Aaron Boone told reporters on Saturday that the oft-injured slugger strained his other calf while running, and he could very well miss the rest of the season. Stanton, out since April 24, had been progressing in his running program to recover from the calf strain that has nagged him for months, but this latest complication could take him out of the running to contribute in the postseason.

"He was running a couple days ago and had fallen," Boone said. "It's a moderate strain. What that means moving forward, we're not ruling anything out...but obviously, we're at a point in the calendar where it gets challenging."'

Stanton's Yankee career has been riddled with injuries and extended IL stints, but he has been the team's unquestionable most reliable bat in the playoffs since arriving in 2018. While he has become mainly unreliable due to his struggles to stay healthy, Saturday's news is still a blow for a team hoping to get back to full strength offensively before October.

Stanton's contract runs through next season with a team option for 2028 (which the Yanks almost certainly will not pick up). Saturday's update at least raises the question if Stanton has played his last game in pinstripes.

In nine seasons with the Yankees, Stanton has played in over 140 games just once. He holds an .816 OPS across his Yankee career.

"He's been working his tail off trying to get this thing right," Boone said. "I think we all know how bad he wants to be on that field contributing to a championship. Obviously, that's disappointing. Hopefully we continue to work to get him right and healthy."