Giancarlo Stanton Puts Yankees Fans' Concerns to Rest

"Nothing, at the end of the day, is like seeing a live arm,” Stanton told Yankees' Bryan Hoch. “Being in a position in a game with fans, that extra, you can’t simulate. You can visualize it, but until you do it, it’s different.”

Stanton called it "a nice prototype first day" as he added, "You’ve got to come in and make an impact. I just tried to be impactful right away and not worry about, ‘Hey, I only had this.’ Whatever. No one cares. Get it done. Just squaring up a heater tells me where I’m at more than miles per hour. Pulling a heater, good timing, good adjustment from a couple of swing-throughs or foul-offs of heaters. That’s still the seesaw that’s normal right now.”

Stanton Should Return to the Lineup on 3/5

According to manager Aaron Boone, the plan is to have Stanton play "essentially in most of the home games" which would align with a March 5 return. The Minnesota Twins come to Tampa for a battle with a Yankees squad that has been red-hot. Ultimately, wins and losses don't matter in Spring Training but Stanton's health and getting consistent reps does.

After being held to just 77 games a year ago, Stanton is looking to flip the script. His tennis elbow remains a huge issue, one that will likely hold him back from reaching his full potential. That said, Stanton at 80% tends to be a better hitter than most of the league and is still the Yankees best option.

At the end of the day the Yankees just want to make sure he's getting 30-35 at-bats ahead of Opening Day. That's a solid foundation to make sure he's in not only the right headspace, but also knows his limits and is able to deal with an elbow injury that may never go away.

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