Timetable for Giancarlo Stanton’s return to Yankees becoming clearer

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was not ready on Wednesday to announce the next steps for Giancarlo Stanton’s return from the injured list. But the slugger’s timetable is gradually becoming clearer.

Word around the Yanks is that Stanton could remain in Tampa over the weekend, then begin a rehab assignment as soon as early next week. If that goes off as planned, it’s reasonable to speculate that Stanton would make his season debut in or around mid-June.

Stanton, last seen propelling the Yanks to an American League pennant last fall, has yet to play in 2025 due to tendinitis in both elbows.

He has lately been working out and getting live at-bats at the team’s complex in Florida.

"Today was just a workout day,” Boone said on Wednesday afternoon. “I think he was doing baseball activities [but not live at-bats] today. He's probably headed up here, but I don't know the next step if it's a rehab assignment or what. Hopefully, we'll have that in the next 24 hours."

Asked if Stanton could forgo a rehab assignment, as he has in the past, Boone said, "I don't want to speak too soon. We'll see."

The prediction here is that Stanton will indeed go on a brief rehab.

He is 71 home runs away from 500 in his career, which would seal his Hall of Fame case.