CLEVELAND – In the stadium where he put the Yankees on his broad shoulders last October, Giancarlo Stanton stepped up to the plate Tuesday to test out his elbows.
The Yankees slugger, rehabbing tennis elbow in both arms, took on-field batting practice for the first time at Progressive Field as he continues to attempt a comeback from the ailment that has sidelined him since the spring.
“They’re getting better,” Stanton said of his elbows after taking a few rounds of batting practice.
Stanton had been hitting indoors off the high-velocity, Trajekt pitching machine in recent weeks, but on Tuesday he checked off another box towards eventually beginning a rehab assignment – though he said he was not yet sure when that might begin.
First, he will need to advance to facing live pitching, which the Yankees have indicated should happen soon.
“I don’t usually hit on the field all the time, so I’ve been hitting inside,” Stanton said. “Pop out here, get a feel for what my work is inside and build that way.”
Stanton, who was also dealing with a minor calf issue in camp, recently began running as well, which he did in the outfield Tuesday before taking swings.
“I’m moving around, trying to get a flow of full days of my makeshift spring training I guess,” Stanton said.
It was somewhat of a surprise to see Stanton travel to Cleveland with the Yankees instead of staying back in Tampa, where they played the Rays this weekend, to continue his rehab at the club’s player development complex.
But the veteran DH indicated it was important to him to be around the team, both to get used to the schedule of the regular season and be a resource to his teammates, however possible.
“Keep a long schedule, keep in the meetings, in the routines, practice time, so I can just flow in and it won’t be anything different schedule-wise at least [when I return],” Stanton said. “[Being in meetings] is the only way I can contribute now, so yeah, it’s important. I feel I must do it to stay engaged. And any info or messages or help I can give the guys, [I will].”
