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Yankees Make Roster Move After Giancarlo Stanton Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Josh Valdez | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 1:21 PM ET

Generational superstar Aaron Judge's elbow injury forced the New York Yankees to take a calculated risk with Giancarlo Stanton, and it's working in their favor.

Judge has taken Stanton's designated hitter role since his return to the lineup on Aug. 5, and New York has played Stanton in the outfield part-time ever since. The oft-injured veteran hadn't previously played the field since 2023, but the Yankees need him there until Judge is able to throw in games again.

The team rotated Stanton, Cody Bellinger and Jose Caballero at Judge's spot in right field until this past series against the Houston Astros, when it used Stanton in left. Now, New York is activating another player to join that group, per its social media.

"Prior to tonight’s game, the Yankees returned from rehab and reinstated OF Austin Slater (#29) from the 10-day injured list," the Yankees announced on Friday.

New York acquired Slater from the Chicago White Sox on July 30 to provide outfield depth while Judge was out. However, the 32-year-old went down with a hamstring injury on Aug. 4 after playing just three games with the team.

Slater can play all three outfield positions, but has been exclusively in left field since 2024.

Prior to tonight’s game, the Yankees returned from rehab and reinstated OF Austin Slater (#29) from the 10-day injured list.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 5, 2025

Austin Slater's Return Provides Yankees with More Options

From an offensive standpoint, replacing Stanton with Slater wouldn't make sense. The former is slashing .283/.362/.609 with 18 homers and 47 RBI over 58 games, while the latter is slashing .223/.284/.400 with five homers and 12 RBI over 54 contests.

However, Slater is an ideal defensive substitute for Stanton. The 6-foot, 1-inch, 205-pounder has a .969 fielding percentage and just two errors this season, in addition to a .987 fielding percentage over 197 career games in left. Conversely, Stanton has played just 65 games in left against 1,077 in right.

The Yankees could substitute Slater for Stanton in left during blowouts/late-game situations, or they could move the latter player to right and have them play simultaneously. They could also start Jasson Dominguez in left, Trent Grisham/Bellinger in center and Stanton/Bellinger in right, while subbing on Slater/Caballero later.

Up next for New York is a home series with the Toronto Blue Jays, who leads the Yankees by three games for first place in the AL East. Right-handed pitcher Cam Schlittler (2-2, 2.61 ERA) will start for the Yankees against Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (8-10, 3.75 ERA) on Friday night.

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

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