Yankees DH Giancarlo Stanton provides positive injury update

The earliest possible return date for Stanton — who's on the 60-day injured list — is a road game against the Los Angeles Angels on May 27. 

The 35-year-old said he must go on a rehab assignment before he returns. He added he'll have to continue to take injections in both elbows to address the pain. He seems willing to play through it.

"I don't want to keep talking about this," Stanton said, per Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com. "If I'm out there, I'm good enough to play. There's no levels anything past that."

Stanton's elbow injuries date back to last season. He played through them during the postseason but still hit seven home runs in 14 games and slashed .273/.339/.709. However, he stopped batting in January and didn't start swinging again until late March.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone still expects the two-time Silver Slugger to shake off the rust when he returns.

"When G's in there, he's ready to go," Boone said, via Caldera. "He's not going to be in there if he doesn't feel like he can be really productive. When that time comes...he should be in a good spot."

The Yankees don't need Stanton to rush back from his injury. His backup, Ben Rice, slashed .264/.362/.573 and had 15 RBI through his first 32 games. 

However, a healthy Stanton should bolster the Yankees' World Series chances. In seven seasons with New York, he has 162 home runs and 431 RBI. The batting practice signals he's on the right track.