New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge loves playing with Giancarlo Stanton.
On Wednesday, Judge spoke about his appreciation for Stanton, who recently re-entered New York’s defensive lineup in right field to allow Judge to keep operating as designated hitter while recovering from a flexor strain.
When asked about Stanton’s willingness to play in the outfield, Judge had a hard time containing a smile.
“He’s a leader,” Judge said of Stanton, per SNY. “This guy’s been one of the best in the game for a long time … for him to (play in the field) … just speaks volumes to his leadership and what he means to this team.”
Stanton dealt with his own injury issues to start the 2025 season. Suffering from epicondylitis (tennis elbow) in both elbows, Stanton wasn’t activated until June 16.
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The former National League MVP has been productive since his return, slashing .300/ .376/ .586/ .962 with 12 home runs and 34 RBIs in 140 at-bats for the Yankees.
Stanton was excellent in the playoffs last season, especially in the ALCS, in which he hit four home runs and tallied an OPS of 1.222, earning ALCS MVP honors in the process.
On Tuesday night, Stanton homered and went 4-for-5 in a win over the Minnesota Twins. The slugger now has 441 career homers to go along with 1,593 career hits and 1,137 career RBIs.
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On Wednesday, Stanton was set to play his third-straight game in the outfield for the first time since May 2022, per Talkin’ Yanks.
Amid an MLB season in which former Boston Red Sox star Rafael Devers’ position-change drama in Boston activated a national sports media discourse about the value of players changing roles, Stanton’s return to right field marks him as a team-first star.
