Miss time again?

In late August, I read news about Giancarlo Stanton. Well, it’s not a surprise. Again, Stanton sustained an injury. This time, he might not come back in 2026.

While reading the news, I just think about Stanton’s playing time. And this could be something serious.

Firstly, let’s look back at Stanton’s performance over these 3 seasons. In 2024, Stanton played 114 games for the Yankees, hitting .233/.298/.475 with 27 home runs and 72 RBI. He did miss some playing time because of an injury. Moreover, last season, Stanton played only 77 games. He slashed .273/.350/.594 with 24 home runs and 66 RBI. His OPS was over .900. So, when he’s healthy, he’s quite dangerous. But, unfortunately, he was placed on the IL and missed a significant amount of time.

This season, he has played only 24 games. And he slashes .256/.302/.422 with 3 home runs and 14 RBI. Stanton is now on the 60-day IL and it’s still unknown if he will come back this season. Looking at Stanton’s time with the Yankees, he played 158 games for the Yankees in 2018. In 2021, he played 139 games. Yes, there are only 2 times that Stanton played more than 130 games in a single season in the Yankees uniform. Furthermore, he didn’t play 100 games in 2019 and 2025. This year, he couldn’t reach 100 games, either.

While looking at Stanton’s injury history, a name came to my mind. That’s Mike Trout. Mike Trout did miss a significant amount of playing time. In particular, he played only 29 games in 2024. In that season, he hit .220/.325/.541 with 10 home runs and 14 RBI. Nevertheless, things seem to change in 2025. Mike Trout played 130 games last year, slashing .232/.359/.439 with 26 home runs and 64 RBI. His OPS was .798. He missed some playing time in 2025 but he was able to play more than 100 games.

This year, Mike Trout has played 130+ games thus far. He was placed on the IL and missed some playing time again. Nonetheless, this year, he has played 100+ games again. And now, he has an OPS of .800 with 21 home runs.

When we compare these 2 players, they are both great hitters when they are healthy. However, injuries have played a huge part in their careers and they missed playing time. Mike Trout is now 35 years old and Stanton already turned 36. It’s clear that they aren’t so young. Nevertheless, looking at these 3 seasons, it could be interesting to think about one thing. Mike Trout only played 29 games in 2024. But last year, he played 130 games and this season, he has played 130+ games.

Additionally, Trout still plays center field. Nonetheless, in Stanton’s case, he didn’t reach 100 games last year and this season, he won’t, either. This is a huge loss for the Yankees. Moreover, there’s one more thing. Stanton is a full-time designated hitter and he’s not playing defense. Stanton's contract is through the 2027 season and it’s expected to see him play in 2027. Perhaps, learning something from Mike Trout could be helpful?