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Giancarlo Stanton Concerns Mount After Latest Yankees Loss
Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

It might be time to start worrying about New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton yet again.

Thankfully for the Yankees, the latest concerns have nothing to do with his health ... we think. As far as we know, Stanton feels well enough following his bout with tennis elbow in both arms to play most days.

Instead, the issue is with Stanton's lack of power. The five-time All-Star has no home runs and only a single double in his first 42 plate appearances. Stanton's .270 slugging percentage is easily a career-low, though he's at least reaching base at a .333 clip.

In fairness, no one should have expected Stanton to leave the injured list and suddenly resemble Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani. He's a 35-year-old injury-prone slugger who missed nearly three months with arm injuries.

That doesn't mean the Yankees shouldn't start sweating. Perhaps the only positive about Stanton's presence, given his age and the fact that he no longer plays the field, is his power stroke.

Remember, Stanton mashed like his old self last October, blasting seven home runs with a 1.048 OPS in 62 postseason plate appearances. He also homered in 5.9% of his regular-season at-bats, trailing only Aaron Judge among full-time starters.

This year? Not even close—literally. 

We'll see if Stanton starts July with some home runs, especially as the Yankees look to leave their June swoon behind them. The 48-36 Yankees hold a 1 1/2-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays following Monday's loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. 

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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