The struggling New York Yankees may soon receive a welcome jolt as veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton has begun a minor-league rehab assignment. The club announced on Saturday that Stanton has commenced his assignment with Double-A Somerset. Stanton has been sidelined since July 23 with a left Achilles' injury.
On Saturday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Stanton will DH for Somerset on Saturday and Sunday, have an off day on Monday, and then face rehabbing right-hander Luis Severino for live batting practice on Tuesday. After that, the expectation is that Stanton will be activated in time for the team's West Coast road trip that begins in Oakland next Thursday.
Stanton, the team's primary DH, has batted .228/.309/.498 (127 OPS+) this year with 24 home runs in 80 games. The Yankees badly need Stanton back in the lineup, as they've struggled to score runs with any consistency for some time.
Not coincidentally, the Yankees have also slipped in the standings. While they still hold a comfortable lead in the AL East, the Yankees have dropped five of their last six and gone 4-13 for the month of August. They're also just 9-19 in the second half.
