Yankees’ Aaron Boone Makes Giancarlo Stanton Decision on Saturday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
At the beginning of July, the New York Yankees looked like the clear favorite to win the AL East. Fast forward to Aug. 9, and they now trail the Toronto Blue Jays by 6 ½ games for first place and the Boston Red Sox by 3 ½ games for second.
Heading into their second game of the series on Saturday against the Houston Astros, the Yankees have dropped six of their last seven games. Sitting at 61-55, they’re clinging to a Wild Card spot by just half a game, with the Cleveland Guardians lurking close behind.
In response, manager Aaron Boone has made slight changes to the lineup and field for Game 2. For the first time in nearly two years, veteran Giancarlo Stanton is set to start in right field and bat cleanup in the four-hole.
Giancarlo Stanton returns to the outfield for the first time since 2023 as the #Yankees look to even the series against the #Astros. pic.twitter.com/OcpE2WDoDK
— Bronx Bombers News (@NewsBronx) August 9, 2025
Aaron Judge will continue his DH stint as he ramps back into form after tweaking his throwing elbow a few weeks ago, which briefly put him on the IL.
Stanton, who also missed a large portion of the early season with elbow issues, will be playing the outfield for the first time since Sept. 2023 — a role he handled for much of his career.
This season, Stanton has logged 127 at-bats across 38 games, tallying 18 runs, 34 hits, 10 home runs, and 28 RBIs, while batting .268 with an .873 OPS.
The Yankees’ biggest issues have stemmed from pitching. They’ve struggled to get consistency and length from their starters, and their bullpen — despite several trade deadline acquisitions — has been unreliable. During this rough stretch, their offense has also been inconsistent, though they were without their best hitter, Judge, for several games.
Related: Aaron Judge Assigns Blame As Yankees Continue to Spiral
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
