The Yankees’ position players have officially reported to spring training ahead of their first full-squad workout scheduled for tomorrow. Already, updates regarding injuries are making headlines. Manager Aaron Boone informed the media, including Chris Kirschner from The Athletic, that both veteran hitter Giancarlo Stanton and center fielder Trent Grisham are experiencing delays in their training due to injuries. Stanton is currently facing soreness in his elbows, while Grisham is recovering from a hamstring problem. Fortunately, Grisham’s injury seems minor, as MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reports that he has resumed baseball activities and is back to running at near full capacity. However, Stanton’s situation appears more serious. Hoch notes that Boone offered no specific timeline regarding Stanton’s recovery when asked if this injury might affect his readiness for Opening Day.

“I don’t know,” Boone stated, according to Hoch. “I’m not going to put any timeline on it. We’re just going to be smart about it.”

Stanton’s health has been a challenging issue for the Yankees over the years, especially since this latest setback involves his upper body. Throughout his seven seasons with the Yankees, the 35-year-old has had multiple stints on the injured list, primarily due to lower body ailments affecting his hamstrings, calves, or knees. His only upper body injury previously was a biceps strain in early 2019, which kept him out for six weeks of the regular season.

If Stanton were to miss the beginning of the season, it would be a frustrating blow to a Yankees lineup that has already seen the departure of Juan Soto and Gleyber Torres in free agency. Although the signings of Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger are expected to strengthen the roster compared to last season’s struggles from Alex Verdugo and Anthony Rizzo, the team may have to rely on lesser-known talents like Jasson Dominguez, Oswaldo Cabrera, and DJ LeMahieu to cover positions in left field and third base. The absence of Stanton would further deplete the team’s batting lineup.

The internal candidates likely won’t match the impressive .233/.298/.475 (116 wRC+) performance that Stanton delivered in 2024. However, outfield prospect Everson Pereira enters Spring Training healthy after undergoing UCL surgery that cut his 2024 season short. Pereira boasts a solid .287/.365/.530 slash line across 75 games in Triple-A but had a challenging time in the majors with just 27 games in 2023. Another option for the Yankees could be first baseman/catcher Ben Rice, a promising hitter who filled in for Rizzo last year but has shifted back to catching during the offseason and is in the running for the backup catcher position behind Austin Wells.