Giancarlo Stanton stuck in Yankees holding pattern after dissappointing MRI exam

The good news for the Yankees is that Giancarlo Stanton feels better than his MRI exam looks.


The bad news is that the MRI overrules what the veteran DH is feeling.

And so Stanton remains in a holding pattern after repeat imaging last week revealed that there is still a low-grade strain lingering in his right calf, keeping him from getting the clearance to ramp up a running program that he needs to do before he returns.

“Calves are very interesting and history [factors in],” Stanton said Tuesday before the Yanks’ 5-4 win over the Jays. “Just got to be careful of not making it much longer than it needs to be.”

Stanton, who has missed time with calf strains before, has been hitting every day in the cage and off the Trajekt machine, which should keep him close to game ready once he starts running.

He has also been doing plyometric exercises, which he said are “explosive enough to be running, just not the continuous [motion].”

But the Yankees are being cautious and will likely get another MRI to make sure he is fully healed before he advances to running.

“I don’t want to be out,” said Stanton, who has been on the IL since April 28. “I want to be back as soon as possible.”

Austin Wells returned to the lineup Tuesday after J.C. Escarra had started back-to-back games behind the plate and went 0-for2.

Wells has struggled at the plate at the plate all season, but especially of late, entering the day 3-for-32.

“It does feel like his work’s been really good behind the scenes,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He has the equipment to get out of it. But in these times, you got to just be process-driven and think small. It’s about really just, as much as you can, focus on the quality of the at-bat and trust that your ability over time will net you results. He’s very capable of that. The good thing is he’s been tremendous behind the plate”

José Caballero took batting practice on the field Tuesday, continuing to do ramp up baseball activities in hopes of missing just the minimum 10 days on the injured list with a fracture in his right middle finger.

He is first eligible to return on Friday.

The Yankees promoted righty reliever Eric Reyzelman to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday after a strong start to the season at Double-A.

After struggling at SWB last year and then undergoing a microdiscectomy late in the season, the 24-year-old struck out 32 and walked only four across 17 ¹/₃ innings with Double-A Somerset, even touching 100 mph at times. 

If Reyzelman carries over his success to Triple-A, he could enter the conversation of giving the Yankees help in the bullpen before long.