Giancarlo Stanton will not head back to the injured list, with the New York Yankees were expected to make a decision on the slugger’s status Monday before opening a road series against the Texas Rangers in Arlington. Outfielder Jasson DomÃnguez has already been summoned from Triple-A, a strong signal the club is preparing for a roster move, according to New York Post Yankees insider Greg Joyce.
What happens next could determine whether Stanton misses only a few games or begins another extended absence that reshapes the Yankees lineup entering May.
But the Yankees are keeping Stanton active, for now, according to Joyce.
The Yankees “donât put Giancarlo Stanton on the IL. Looks like theyâll play a pitcher short this series and give Stanton a chance to return sooner than if they had put him on the 10-day IL,” Joyce reported on Monday afternoon.
Stanton, 36, first felt tightness in his right calf Friday night at Daikin Park in Houston while jogging the basepaths after drawing a walk. He exited immediately and did not appear in the lineup Saturday or Sunday as New York dropped the Astros series finale 7-4. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters before that loss that a determination would come Monday one way or the other, according to MLB.com‘s Steve Schaeffer.
The Yankees believe they removed Stanton from Friday’s game before the injury worsened. He reported some improvement Saturday, but the calf did not recover quickly enough over the weekend to avoid a probable injured-list trip, and the DomÃnguez callup may reveal the club’s likely decision.
Jasson DomÃnguez Steps In for Ailing Stanton
DomÃnguez, 22, was batting .326 with an .893 OPS across 106 plate appearances at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when the call came. His numbers against left-handed pitching stood out. He went 7-for-18 with a 1.172 OPS against southpaws, a direct answer to the struggles that limited his big-league opportunities in 2025, according to the New York Post.
With New York set to face a trio of right-handed starters during the Rangers series, DomÃnguez figures to see action at designated hitter or in left field. His stay may be short, however, with shortstop Anthony Volpe finishing a comeback from October labrum surgery on his left shoulder and expected to be activated as soon as Friday’s series opener against the Baltimore Orioles. That move would likely send DomÃnguez back to Scranton.
Boone addressed Volpe’s timeline Sunday. “Still working on [timing], still getting there,” the manager said. “It’s only been two weeks of games. Still getting there, but I know he feels really good and feels ready to contribute too,” per the New York Post.
Stanton’s Durability Remains a Major Yankees Concern
Stanton’s availability has been one of the defining questions of his nine seasons in pinstripes. He played just 77 games in 2025, missing 85 contests because of multiple injuries. Since arriving from the Miami Marlins before the 2018 season, he has reached 150 games played only once.
The 2026 campaign looked more encouraging before Friday.
Stanton appeared in 24 of the Yankees’ first 28 games and was slashing .256/.302/.422 with three home runs and 14 RBIs. The underlying contact quality supported the production. His average exit velocity sat at 94.1 mph, hard-hit rate at 44.3%, and barrel rate at 18%, according to Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors. His strikeout rate of 30.2%, while still on the high side, was down from 34.2% a year ago.
Stanton is under contract through 2027 on the 13-year, $325 million deal he originally signed with the Marlins in 2014. He has slugged 456 career home runs across 17 seasons. The right calf tightness is the latest interruption to what has become a recurring pattern of absences for one of baseball’s most imposing power hitters.
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