The New York Yankees seem to be preparing to be without star slugger Giancarlo Stanton for a while.
As the $325 million star continues to deal with injuries to both elbows, it seems there’s a chance he will miss the start of the season, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post.
On top of that, the Yankees have reportedly have had “some contact” with free-agent star J.D. Martinez as a potential option to replace Stanton.
“There’s been some contact with J.D. Martinez. But it might be hard to figure out how to bring him in as a stopgap player because there’s surely hope and expectation for Stanton to return,” Heyman wrote.
The Yankees need as much protection for star Aaron Judge as they can get after missing out on Juan Soto this offseason. Stanton was supposed to be a part of that crew, but it’s unclear when he’ll be able to return to the lineup.
Martinez would be an ideal option to replace Stanton in theory. A six-time All-Star, Martinez is coming off a relatively down year for his standards. He still launched 24 home runs while posting a 106 OPS+ with the New York Mets.
Those are numbers the Yankees could use in the lineup around Judge, especially if Stanton is going to be out for a while.
It remains to be seen what will come of this situation, but it’s at least something to monitor if the Yankees need to find a replacement for Stanton.