SOMERSET, N.J. — The Yankees’ cavalry is going Hollywood. Third baseman Josh Donaldson and reliever Tommy Kahnle said they expect to return and be activated from the injured list when the team starts its series with the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Friday. But rehabbing slugger Giancarlo Stanton might need a little longer.
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Donaldson and Stanton were in the starting lineup for Double-A Somerset on Tuesday, with Kahnle scheduled to come out of the bullpen. Stanton said he expected to DH the whole game, and Donaldson said he would play all nine innings at third base. As for Kahnle, the right-hander hoped to throw a full inning at about 20 pitches.
Stanton didn’t rule out returning for Friday.
“I’m going to get through (Tuesday) and go from there,” he said. “See how I feel moving around, picking up the ball and everything, and then go from there. … I’m ready to go. I just need to get some games under my belt, or some at-bats at least.”
It seems unlikely, however, that the 33-year-old slugger would join Donaldson and Kahnle in Los Angeles. Stanton, recovering from a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, hadn’t faced live pitching since April 15, and putting him on a six-hour flight to California to play two or three games, only for him to fly back on the Yankees’ charter Sunday would be a peculiar move for a team that treats injuries with abundant caution.
Giancarlo Stanton #Yankees pic.twitter.com/OMObcHSScV
— Brendan Kuty 🧟♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) May 30, 2023
Stanton added that he believes it’s essential for him to play in the outfield, echoing what manager Aaron Boone said earlier in the week. Stanton said he believes the consistent activity could keep him off the injured list.
“I need to be,” he said, referring to playing the outfield. “I need to stay moving. It’s better for the team, as well. That’s what I’ve got to do.”
He added that playing defense would help him stay “in the flow of the game.”
“But at the end of the day,” he said, “it doesn’t matter. I’ve got to stay out there wherever I’m at.”
Stanton was hitting .269 with four home runs and a .854 OPS in 52 at-bats before he was injured while running out a double.
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Donaldson, Kahnle a step away
Tuesday was set to be the fourth game of Donaldson’s renewed rehab assignment in his effort to return from a hamstring strain. The 37-year-old’s first assignment stalled when he re-injured himself April 18.
Boone has said he expects Donaldson to be an “everyday” player once he returns to the Yankees, though they’ll have to solve the problem of making room for him. DJ LeMahieu has been the Yankees’ primary third baseman, and with Gleyber Torres and Anthony Rizzo hitting well, Boone will have to find playing time for LeMahieu and Donaldson.
Donaldson is coming off his worst career offensive season. The 2015 AL MVP winner hit just .222 with 15 home runs and a .682 OPS in 132 games last year, though advanced statistics rated him as one of the best defenders at his position. He was just 2-for-16 (.125) with a home run in his first five games this season.
Donaldson said he didn’t feel any added pressure to perform offensively.
“I try to go out there and compete,” he said. “Every day that you wear a uniform, you have a unique opportunity to compete and earn your position. I’ve never been someone who has really been given anything. For me, it’s not abnormal for me to go out there and earn it as well.”
Josh Donaldson #Yankees pic.twitter.com/sDs1fcMSCE
— Brendan Kuty 🧟♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) May 30, 2023
If Kahnle joins the Yankees in L.A., he’ll be making his season debut. He signed a two-year, $11.5 million deal to help bolster the Yankees’ bullpen, but the team shut him down in spring training with biceps tendonitis. He said he has added a sinker to his pitch mix, which is headlined by his changeup. And he’s hoping to regain the fastball velocity he had before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020. In 2019, his fastball averaged 97.4 mph. In a 13-game stint with the Dodgers last season, his fastball averaged 95.5 mph.
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“There were times last year where I was up to 98 mph,” Kahnle said, “but I didn’t expect to go out there and throw that every time. Maybe it had something to do mechanically. Maybe I was a little off. But I would like to be able to get back there one day.”
(Photo of Giancarlo Stanton: Elsa / Getty Images)
