Giancarlo Stanton makes season debut for Yankees after missing first 70 games

NEW YORK — His bat thundering as usual in his return, Giancarlo Stanton batted away a question about elbow pain as if it were a pitch he was trying to spoil.

''We're good to go,'' he said.

After missing the Yankees' first 70 games because of inflammation in the tendons of both elbows, Stanton went 2 for 4 with a single and double in a 1-0, 11-inning defeat to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night that stretched New York's losing streak to a season-high four games.

He hit a 101.5 mph groundout in the first and a 111.1 mph single in the fourth, struck out in the sixth and led off the ninth with a 102.9 mph double.

''I thought he moved well on his double,'' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. ''I feel like his timing with the fastball has been good. Now it's just about continuing to do it over and over and seeing how he bounces back every day.''

Stanton had said in February ''the pain was very high in general'' last year because of epicondylitis, a tendon inflammation known as tennis elbow.

Taking early batting practice off a machine in empty Yankee Stadium, he took notice of being on the field he had missed during a layoff that began in the weeks before spring training.

''Excited to get the big boy back," Boone said a little later in the interview room.

Batting fifth as the designated hitter, Stanton received a standing ovation from the crowd of 37,398 when he came to the plate with two on and two outs in the first inning.

''That's awesome. It's amazing,'' Stanton said. ''It's been a long time coming for the year, so I appreciate them and good thing I was able to do all right tonight.''

Stanton has not played a full season since 2018, the first year after the Yankees acquired him from the Miami Marlins. Entering Monday, he had missed 364 of 940 games (39%) since the beginning of the 2019 season.

The 35-year-old appeared in 114 games last season, hitting .233 with 27 homers and 72 RBIs, then had seven homers in 14 postseason games and was voted the MVP of the AL Championship Series.

Given a then-record $325 million, 13-year contract by the Marlins, Stanton had 59 homers and 132 RBIs in 2017, winning the NL MVP award. He was traded to the Yankees and had 38 homers and 100 RBIs in his first season in the Bronx.

He missed time because of a strained right biceps and strained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee (2019), strained left hamstring (2020), strained left quadriceps (2021), right ankle inflammation and left Achilles tendinitis (2022) and strained left hamstring (2023 and 2024).

Stanton was activated from the 60-day injured list and infielder/outfielder Pablo Reyes was designated for assignment.

Ben Rice had started 43 games at designated hitter, Aaron Judge 17, Jasson Domínguez eight and Paul Goldschmidt two. Rice has 12 homers and could see time catching, where he has made six appearances since his big league debut last June 18, none of them starts.

''We have, frankly, guys that should be in there probably pretty much every single day and we'll have to work a little bit of a rotation there,'' Boone said. ''Everyone's not going to be happy about it all the time and that's OK, as long as we're all in it together as a team.''

Cousins to have Tommy John surgery and Brubaker nearing return

Boone said right-hander Jake Cousins will have Tommy John surgery on Wednesday with Texas Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister, and right-hander JT Brubaker likely will be activated in the next few days after recovering from three broken left ribs sustained when trying to avoid a comebacker off the bat of Tampa Bay's Kameron Misner during an exhibition on Feb. 21.

Cousins, a right-hander who turns 31 next month, has been sidelined all season. Boone said ahead of the first workout at spring training that Cousins had a strained right forearm and then the pitcher felt a pec issue after a pair of batting practice sessions last month. Cousins made minor league rehab appearances on June 3 and June 7 for High-A Hudson Valley and felt discomfort. He had a 2.37 ERA in 37 relief appearances last year, striking out 53 and walking 20 in 38 innings.

Brubaker was acquired from Pittsburgh in March 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery on April 12, 2023. The 31-year-old right-hander made six minor league appearances from May 18 through Saturday, then got a call on Sunday from his rehab coordinator telling him to report to Yankee Stadium. He'll likely be used at first in long relief.

''Just to be able to step in this clubhouse is amazing. I mean, the history, just everything,'' Brubaker said. ''It's an unbelievable experience. I got lost a little bit walking around.''

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