Yankees Manager Reveals Yankees’ Real Reason Behind Stanton’s Day Off

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kristie Ackert | Last updated Sep 17, 2025 5:25 PM ET

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Giancarlo Stanton’s night off against the Twins was not cause for concern, but instead part of the team’s plan to balance workloads as September winds down.

“Giancarlo really factors into how we use Judge right now,” Boone said Tuesday on MLB Network Radio. “If Stanton’s playing, Judge is more likely at DH. When I want Judge in the outfield, sometimes that means Giancarlo gets the day. It’s a day-to-day puzzle.”

Boone added that Judge continues to feel good after returning from an elbow injury that cost him time earlier this season.

“He feels like he’s ready to take it on a little bit more,” Boone said. “So Giancarlo be down today, so that means Dominguez is in there and so I DH Judge today with the idea that we go to Baltimore after the game tonight, and we have two lefties to start that series, so it’ll probably be Judge in the outfield.”

Boone emphasized that Stanton’s absence was proactive rather than a setback. “It’s kind of been day to day,” Boone said of Judge’s outfield workload. “If Giancarlo had been playing, I would have DH’d him again, Judge would have been in the outfield again. He feels good. He feels like he’s ready.”

The Yankees have leaned heavily on Judge, who Boone praised as having a season that sometimes gets overlooked. “It’s remarkable what he does, how he does it,” Boone said. “He’s playing in a different league.”

Balancing the two sluggers remains part of Boone’s late-season calculus. “It’s just about circling up with him and Giancarlo and seeing where they’re at and what makes the most sense,” Boone said.

For Boone, Stanton’s rest was not a red flag, but a chance to keep both stars healthy and ready. “It’s kind of a really day-to-day,” he said. “Judge has been slowly improving all the time.”

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

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