Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton suffers calf strain in other leg

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News on Aug 22, 2026

Published in Baseball

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NEW YORK — In a blow to the New York Yankees, slugger Giancarlo Stanton suffered another setback in his rehab progression, this time sustaining a calf strain in his left leg.

The latest injury occurred a couple of days ago when Stanton — who has missed the past four months due to a pair of strains in his right calf — fell while running the bases, manager Aaron Boone said Saturday.

“It’s a moderate grade,” Boone said of Stanton’s new strain. “What that means moving forward? We’re not ruling anything out. He’ll obviously continue to work to try and get it right and hopefully be available, but obviously we’re at a point on the calendar where it gets challenging. But you also never know.”

Stanton, 36, suffered the initial strain in his right calf on April 24 while running the bases during a win in Houston.

While rehabbing in June, Stanton sustained a separate calf strain in that same right leg while running the bases at Yankee Stadium.

Stanton was close to returning to the Yankees before he experienced the latest strain, Boone said.

Saturday’s game was the Yankees’ 129th of the season, leaving them with 33 more games — or about five more weeks before the playoffs.

“Obviously, bummed for him,” Boone said.

Stanton is hitting .256 with three home runs, 14 RBI and a .724 OPS in 24 games this season. When healthy, Stanton remains among the Yankees’ most fearsome hitters, and his powerful right-handed bat brings important balance to a lefty-heavy lineup.

With 456 homers over 17 seasons, Stanton is MLB’s active home run leader. He’s been even more prolific in the playoffs, clubbing 18 home runs in 48 postseason games.

But injuries have limited Stanton’s availability throughout his nine-year Yankees tenure, including last year, when tennis elbow in both arms caused Stanton to miss the first two and a half months of the season.

“He’s in our hitter meetings everyday. He’s in the trenches with the guys as much as he can be,” Boone said.

“I admire him so much and who he is and the way he goes about things, and the same rings for everyone in that room. They look up to him. They respect him. When he speaks, you listen. It means a lot to him to be able to go do this, and he understands who he is and what he means to the team when he’s in there.”

The Yankees lineup has struggled for much of the season without Stanton, Aaron Judge (right rib fracture) and, for the past month, Cody Bellinger (hamstring strain), who is set to return Sunday from the injured list.

Before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, the Yankees added established bats in outfielder Heliot Ramos and lefty-swinging slugger Luis Garcia Jr., whose presence at first base has meant more DH days for Ben Rice.

Cody's close

Bellinger confirmed he would be activated for Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays in the Bronx after he made it through a second minor-league rehab game.

The 31-year-old was the designated hitter on Thursday night at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, then played six innings in left field on Friday night.

Bellinger was back at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, taking the day off ahead of Sunday’s return.

“I feel really good,” said Bellinger, who noted he hasn’t experienced any discomfort in his left hamstring in four or five days.

Bellinger’s return is set to come a little under a month after he suffered the strain on July 25 in Philadelphia.

He went 1 for 6 during his rehab assignment and was tested defensively multiple times Friday.

“One [ball went] over my head,” Bellinger said. “Spun around. And then the next one — it was maybe the next better — a ball down the line, so full speed getting to the ball. That was good to get those in there, to feel good.”

Bellinger — this year’s All-Star Game MVP — is hitting .259 with 11 home runs, 53 RBI and a .770 OPS.

Judge latest

Judge continues to work toward his return, including hitting via tee-and-toss on Friday, according to Boone.

“He’s hit the last couple of days. It’s gone well,” Boone said Saturday. “I don’t think he’s hitting today, but I think he’s throwing, running, lifting. He seems to be in a good place and moving.”

Judge, 34, hasn’t played since May 31. His timeline to return remains unclear, but the three-time American League MVP has said he’ll be back this season.

He is hitting .248 with 17 home runs, 38 RBI and a .907 OPS in 59 games.

“For him now, it’s about getting the body built up,” Boone said. “As much as the injury, it’s also about the inactivity of getting the strength and the endurance of the reps.”

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