Former MVP Out for Yankees in Giancarlo Stanton’s Return

Stanton rarely graces the outfield these days, evidenced by the fact that he did not appear out there at all in 2024 and only did so on 33 occasions in 2023.

As such, the 35-year-old will likely exclusively stick in the DH role, especially considering he's coming back from tendon injuries in both elbows.

The Yankees have appeared willing to mess around with their typical defensive alignment by way of moving Ben Rice behind the plate among other potential changes as a means of fitting their premier bats in the lineup, though that won't be the case in the series opener vs. the Angels.

Instead, Rice will slot in at first base and bat second in the order while Paul Goldschmidt won't start against right-handed pitcher José Soriano.

A platoon between the two players would make a ton of sense, as Rice owns an .817 OPS against righties and a .635 OPS against lefties while Goldschmidt has posted marks of 1.224 and .677 in that category against right-handers and southpaws, respectively.

Perhaps there will come a time when Rice, Goldschmidt and Stanton are all featured in the lineup together, but tonight won't be that night.

Jasson Domínguez is another New York stalwart who may find that his playing time will be diminished now that Stanton's back. The rookie outfielder, who is slashing .237/.326/.387 and has performed at a higher clip against right-handers this year, was omitted from Monday's lineup in favor of Cody Bellinger in left and Trent Grisham in center while Aaron Judge, of course, remains in right.

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