The Yankees are going strong, leading the AL East by 25-11. They are coming off a sweep of the Orioles and are certainly in a comfortable position. However, the concern still lies when it comes to injuries. Names like Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Rodon, and Ben Rice are yet to return from the IL, and Aaron Boone has some uneasy admission to it.

The Yankees are currently leading in terms of hitting home runs (60), but things could get disturbed, as per Boone.

“He’s doing OK, and he’s hit some,” Boone said about Giancarlo Stanton.

Stanton tweaked his calf while jogging between first and second base last month against the Rangers. He was immediately scratched and sent for an MRI. After an MRI confirmed the strain, the Yankees officially placed him on the 10-day injured list. Tuesday was the first day of him to be activated off the 10-day injured list, but instead came Boone’s demoralizing statement.

And considering Stanton’s injury history, Boone’s update feels scarier. Since joining the Yankees in 2018, Stanton has suffered from chronic, recurring injuries, primarily lower-body strains and severe elbow tendinitis, missing significant time and playing in over 114 games only once. Last year, he also missed the first two-plus months of the season due to severe tennis elbow in both arms, beginning the season on the 10-day injured list and later moving to the 60-day IL.

So, Boone saying Stanton still needs some time on the last day of his 10-day injury list is what makes me feel odd. But what about his return? The Yankees got no answer. They took over Stanton’s massive $325 million contract from the Marlins, and he woes $19 million this year.

Stanton’s absence is surely affecting the Yankees’ payroll, but the worst is how the Yankees’ offense is taking the hit. This year, he has a .256 batting average, including three home runs and 14 RBIs across 24 games. In total, he has played 764 games with the Yankees and has a .245 batting average. He’s recorded 189 home runs and 511 RBIs.

Hence, missing such a power-hitter could prove costly for the Yankees, especially when another hot performer, Ben Rice, is also sidelined.

Rice is currently leading the Yankees’ hitting chart with a .343 average, but he was injured last Sunday while catching a low pickoff throw from Max Fried. He is currently day-to-day with a left-hand contusion. So, missing two leading sluggers could be risky, and the Yankees already felt that in the third game against the Rangers.

Although Ben Rice played that game but couldn’t score any runs from his 4 at-bats. The Yankees’ offense faltered and lost the game 0-3. A few more, and Boone knows the best how an extended losing streak feels when he faced it last year.

The Yankees’ pitching staff portrays the same picture

Stanton and Rice’s injury took a major hit at the Yankees’ offense, but their pitching staff is facing the same issue.

Gerrit Cole is yet to make his 2026 debut and is at the last leg of his rehab. But his absence got further worsened by Clarke Schmidt and Carlos Rodon’s injury.

Rodon started the season on the 15-day injured list as he was recovering from surgery to remove loose bodies in his left elbow and shave a bone spur. And the Yankees’ 2025 hero, Schmidt, is recovering from a second Tommy John surgery performed last July. So, Schmidt, Rodon, and Cole are all rehabbing and yet to make this 2026 debut.

The worst part was how they are performing in the rehab. “Cole allowed six runs and seven hits in 4⅓ innings while throwing 69 pitches against Winston-Salem. Cole allowed solo homers to Caleb Bonemer and Kyle Lodise while also getting four strikeouts,” Associated Press reported.

The only silver lining is how the Yankees’ existing pitching staff is performing. They are currently ranked 1st in terms of team ERA (2.98), but just another injury away from a debacle. Boone already faced the challenge of a lack of reliable pitchers last year. Hopefully, the Yankees will get back their rehabbing arms before anything such happens.

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