ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — There was a surprise Yankees clubhouse appearance about halfway through Friday’s 50-minute Division Series workout day media availability.
Healthy postseason pinch-hit option Giancarlo Stanton emerged from a back room and walked to his back corner locker stall with media present was a first in months.
Besides not playing games since April, Stanton hadn’t done any interviews since June, other than telling the New York Post last week that he was “ready to go” when he was off the injured list and on the Yankees’ Wild Card Series roster.
The day before the Yankees and Rays begin a best-of-five ALDS with the Rays at Tropicana Field, Stanton talked to a clubbie for five minutes at his locker, then was headed for the back entrance when NJ.com asked if he would talk.
Stanton stopped, took a deep breath and responded, “Yeah, what do you got?’’
The exchange started like this:
Good to see you. First off, how you doing?
With a bunch of other reporters moving his way, Stanton responded with the same one-liner and then set ground rules in a stern tone:
“I’m ready to go. I’m not doing how the how the process was, come back, where I’m at. I’m ready to help the team any way I can … and that’s really all I’ve got to say on that.”
The next five minutes was a friendly back-and-forth that included no questions about everything that Stanton’s been through this season, no talk about going on the injured list in April with a right calf strain, no talk about his setback in June or when he had another injury in August.
Even the Yankees figured Stanton was a long shot to play again this season. He suffered a Grade 2 left calf strain running the bases during a workout day when he finally was over his Grade 2 right calf strain and close to playing minor-league rehabs.
Give Stanton credit. He never gave up on coming back and he did. The only thing missing was an at-bat in the first round of the playoffs. The Yankees swept the Red Sox in a best of three, winning two lopsided games at Yankee Stadium, but Stanton wasn’t used.
That had to be disappointing. Besides Stanton probably badly wanting to just get into a game, seeing major-league pitching for one or two at-bats in those blowout wins could have better prepared him for a game-on-the-line ALDS at-bat.
Stanton didn’t dispute that while making it clear the team comes first.
“I prefer to get two wins and be here now,” he said. “Is it always good to get ABs for anybody for their timing? Yes.”
The Yankees decided Friday that Stanton again would be on their ALDS roster. They added an 11th pitcher from the first round, but infielder/outfielder Amed Rosario was dropped to open a spot for left-hander Ryan Weathers, who is returning from the injured list as a reliever.
Stanton will only be a pinch-hit option again because Ben Rice will start every game at designated hitter, but he said he’d play the outfield if the Yankees asked.
“I’m ready to go,” he said. “However, they need me.”
Stanton positioned himself for this limited pinch-hit role by taking a ton of batting practice while he was on the injured list, but that’s not the same as facing big-league pitching.
What’s the biggest challenge?
“To see velocity and just to visualize yourself out there,” he said.
Stanton’s best quote was his answer to being asked how meaningful is it for him to be back for playoff baseball.
“It’s the most important time of the year,” he said. “If there’s any time to erase a bad year, it’s in October. So it’s the greatest opportunity to show up in this situation.”
Stanton, 36, has missed a lot of games in all but one season since he was traded to the Yankees followed his 59-homer, NL MVP campaign with the Marlins in 2017, but he always was healthy for the postseason and usually doing a lot of offensive damage.
In 48 career postseason games, all as a Yankee, he’s hit .254 with 18 homers 44 RBI and a .926 OPS.
Stanton didn’t want to talk about any of that on Friday.
“I’m just trying to win a championship now, so I’m not going to look at my career and what I have done,” he said. “We’ve got to worry about now, and that’s what’s most important. And I’ve got to make sure I’m ready for whatever role.”
With or without him contributing, Stanton thinks the Yankees can be ready than their 2024 pennant-winning team that lost the World Series to the Dodgers in five games.
“This is a new team,” he said. “Two years ago to now, we’re more dynamic, we’re faster, we’re younger, quicker, stronger pitching staff. So it’s new dynamic.
“We’ve got new opponents, so it’s just all executing. … If we execute, we’re capable of being champions.”
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