Giancarlo Stanton likely headed to the IL with left hamstring injury

It was bad enough that the Yankees lost to the Rays on Saturday evening. What’s worse is they might have lost Giancarlo Stanton for the immediate future. The designated hitter departed the game ahead of the sixth inning. According to Meredith Marakovits, he exited with a tight left hamstring.

In his postgame press conference, manager Aaron Boone said that Stanton will likely head to the injured list, indicating that it’s more concerning than tightness. Stanton will undergo an MRI shortly. Hamstring injuries are notoriously tricky. They’re slow to heal, and they’re quite easy to re-injure. A Grade 2 strain could sideline him for the remainder of the season, and at worst, a Grade 3 might just rule him out for the playoffs. They’re that kind of bad.

Stanton had been 0-for-1 with a walk, and scored a run earlier in the game. He drew that walk in the fourth inning, then moved to second on a wild pitch. He told Bryan Hoch that’s where he felt it pull. To the obligatory video:

The 30-year-old has been highly productive so far this season, hitting .293/.453/.585 with three home runs, including one earlier today against Sean Gilmartin.

The Yankees’ designated hitter has a lengthy injury history, having appeared in only 18 regular-season games in 2019. He also missed a chunk of spring training with a calf strain.

It’s unclear who the team will call up to replace Stanton on the roster, but Miguel Andújar and Clint Frazier stand out as likely candidates.

This is a developing situation. We’ll have more information as it becomes available. Stay tuned to Pinstripe Alley for future updates.