Have Shohei Ohtani and Yordan Alvarez already locked up MVP honors?
Are MLB’s MVP races already decided? We break down Shohei Ohtani’s dominance, Yordan Alvarez’s Triple Crown chase, and whether anyone can catch them.
Sports Seriously
The chances of New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton playing in the regular season have become more unlikely as he suffered another lower leg injury, this time a moderate-grade strain in his left calf.
Stanton was already on the injured list with a right calf injury, and this latest setback happened while he was running the bases during his rehab stint.
The 36-year-old has not played since April 24, and in his 24 games played, he hit .256 with three home runs and 14 RBIs.
“We’re not ruling anything out,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday, Aug. 22. “He’ll obviously continue to work to try to get it right and hopefully be available. But obviously we’re at a point in the calendar where it gets challenging, but you also never know.”
Even with the absence of Stanton and reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge, who has missed 70 games this season because of a right rib stress fracture, the Yankees’ power surge hasn’t gone away, as they lead the AL in home runs with 176, in part due to the emergence of designated hitter Ben Rice, who has 34 home runs.
Stanton has two seasons remaining on a 13-year, $325 million contract he signed in 2014 when he was with the Miami Marlins. Next year, he is due $25 million, and the 2028 season is a club option with a $10 million buyout.
“Obviously, I’m bummed for him,” Boone said. “He’s been working his tail off every day here trying to get this thing right. I think you all know how badly he wants to be on that field contributing to a championship, so obviously that’s disappointing. Hopefully, we just continue to work to get him right and healthy.”
New York entered Saturday with a 73-55 record, good for second place in the AL East, three games back of the Tampa Bay Rays.