"Be a baseball player again" - Giancarlo Stanton determined to restore hitting form after Yankees GM Brian Cashman's injury claims

Giancarlo Stanton is working hard in Tampa ahead of the 2024 season opener to make a powerful comeback.

In a post shared by SNY on X (formerly Twitter), Stanton shared his expectations for the upcoming season. He hopes to stay healthy and get back in the lineup to join his teammates for the Yankees' 2024 campaign.

“Be a baseball player again,” Stanton replied when asked about his offseason workout goal.

The New York Post’s Greg Joyce also reported on Stanton, stating:

“A slimmer Giancarlo Stanton said his offseason workouts were aimed at allowing him to “be a baseball player again.” Said he needs to be more mobile, so he did more running during the offseason.” - via Greg Joyce on X.

Stanton has been prone to injuries in recent seasons. He had a hamstring injury in April of last year, which kept him out of action until June. Despite returning in August, Stanton did not perform as well as before.

“I just needed to be more mobile. A lot of setbacks kept me not moving the way I'd like to be,” said Stanton.

Joyce reported that Staton is working on his swings to get over his last year’s .191/.275/.420 dismal slash line.

“Stanton also said "there will be some changes to the swing."” - via Greg Joyce on X.

In November, at the Arizona GM meetings, Brain Cashman's comment heated the matter a little but quickly settled down soon after.

“We try to limit the time he’s down. … He’s going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game,” commented Cashman, according to New York Daily News.

According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Stanton seems to remember Cashman’s comment.

“Giancarlo Stanton on Brian Cashman's November comments, when the GM said that being injured seems to be part of Stanton's game: "He knows my reaction to that."” via Bryan Hoch on X.

How important will Giancarlo Stanton be for the Yankees in 2024?

Giancarlo Stanton is set to begin his seventh season with the New York Yankees in 2024. Although he is a key player in the Yankees' lineup, his frequent injuries have caused him to miss multiple games. In the past three seasons, he has only played in 350 games and has been selected for the All-Star team only once.

In 2023, Stanton played in all outfield positions and also served as a designated hitter in a few games. However, with the addition of Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo this year, he may be assigned mainly to the DH role.

The Yankees' first spring training game will be against the Detroit Tigers on February 24th.