When a general manager stands in front of reporters and says something like “it kind of resets the whole thing,” a certain kind of dread descends upon the fan base. That’s exactly what Brian Cashman said at Tropicana Field on Thursday, and it came with the weight of bad news disguised as clarification. It turns out that what the Yankees had been referring to as a setback in Giancarlo Stanton’s recovery was actually nothing of the sort. It was a new injury, a calf strain in a slightly different location than the one that kept him out of action back in April.
It may not seem important, but that distinction is crucial. A setback is when progress is halted, taking one or two steps back before moving forward again. A fresh injury means a fresh start. Additionally, starting over is a big deal for a 36-year-old who has a lengthy history of lower-body issues, as Cashman has admitted. It’s difficult to ignore the pattern here: Stanton’s body appears to malfunction in ways that don’t seem to follow a predetermined script, with each problem being slightly different from the last and requiring patience of its own.
The timeline is a silent narrative in and of itself. Since April 24, Stanton has not participated in any games. In mid-June, he made some adjustments while running the bases, which the Yankees first presented as a small setback. It’s July now, PRP injections have been added, and he was just given the all-clear to resume running. August is likely the earliest feasible date for a return, and even that seems like an optimistic estimate disguised as a strategy, as anyone doing the math can see.
The offense surrounding him has been faltering in the meantime. The Yankees have appeared to be a mediocre team since the beginning of June, ranking close to the bottom of the league in scoring efficiency. It’s hard to blame this on the absence of both Stanton and Aaron Judge in the middle of the order. Judge will undergo new imaging during the All-Star break due to a stress fracture in his rib, and Cashman was open—possibly more open than fans would have liked—in stating that the team isn’t anticipating a perfect scan. Instead of hoping for good news, the front office seems to be preparing for more bad news.
Observing this from the outside, it’s remarkable how composed Cashman sounds despite giving information that ought to worry people. He describes injuries as “the time it takes” in the same way that a mechanic might describe an automobile in need of a replacement part. Perhaps that’s the only way to get through such a stretch without going insane. Cashman has hinted at becoming aggressive if the right piece becomes available, but he hasn’t made any specific promises. The trade deadline is more than three weeks away.
For the time being, the Yankees are just waiting for scans, for batting practice to replace running drills, and for two of their best hitters to resemble themselves. Nobody in that clubhouse seems willing to act otherwise, and it is still genuinely uncertain whether that occurs before October.