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Somewhat lost in Aaron Judge’s chase for 62 home runs is the fact that his fellow towering slugger in the Yankees’ lineup is in the midst of a brutal second half of the season.
Giancarlo Stanton has struggling badly since returning in late August from a stint on the injured list for left Achilles tendinitis.
Manager Aaron Boone said during the series earlier this week Toronto the foot could be a “factor” in Stanton’s slump, but on Friday he chalked it up more to timing.
Whatever the issue is, Stanton is lucky his slump has been overlooked, with fans almost solely focused on Judge’s heroics.
That likely won’t be the case forever and Stanton didn’t help his cause Friday in a 2-1 loss to the Orioles in The Bronx, when he went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. He’s now 1-for-21 with no walks and 13 strikeouts in five games since a three-hit game against the Red Sox on Sept. 22.
And since the All-Star break (including four games just before he went on the IL), Stanton is 14-for-110 with just five extra-base hits and 49 strikeouts.
“I think he’s been a little bit off and is struggling to find it,” Boone said. “He’s had a couple big home runs the last couple weeks.”
Hitting coach Dillon Lawson said the team is “confident he’ll be right for the playoffs,” but believes there is some correlation to the injury and his performance.
