Giancarlo Stanton’s promising rehab stint could lead to him breaking Guardians’ fans hearts yet again

Giancarlo Stanton’s postseason career has been highlighted by plenty of signature moments. While his injuries and lack of playing time have impacted his Yankees’ legacy, his performance when the lights are brightest have made him one of baseball’s top performers. 

It’s also turned him into public enemy No. 1 in Cleveland. It may be hard to believe, but eight of Stanton’s 18 postseason home runs have come against Guardians pitching. 

He burst onto the scene in 2020 by homering in back-to-back games against the Guardians in the Wild Card Series, and he punctuated the Yankees’ Championship Series win over Cleveland in 2024 with homers in the final three games of the series. 

But he’s faded out of the general baseball consciousness this season thanks to some cal injuries that have kept him out since the middle of April. 

That could change soon, however, as Stanton took live at-bats earlier this week at the Yankees’ “stay ready” camp at TD Bank Ballpark, the home park of the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate. 

Manager Aaaron Boone said that Stanton launched a homer (what else is new) and also ran the bases. Boon also said that Stanton was “knocking on the door” when it came to a postseason return. 

What a scary thought. 

Giancarlo Stanton is closing in on a return for this year's postseason

Even if the Guardians wouldn’t see Stanton and the Yankees until the American League Championship Series (the winner of their Wild Card Series against the Yankees will play the Rays), it’s still scary to think about having to face off against him in a postseason series. 

The last time the Guardians saw Stanton in a postseason series, he won ALCS MVP after he slugged a homer in four of the five games in the series. 

But he’d already staked his claim as an all-time Guardians villain before that when he hit two homers in the 2020 Wild Card Series along with a strong showing in the 2022 ALDS that included a go-ahead home run off Aaron Civale in the winner-take-all Game 5. 

That said, Stanton’s return still isn’t guaranteed. Not only does he still have some physical hurdles to clear, but he also has a long history with injuries that have impacted his ability to stay on the diamond. 

He’s only played in 101 games since the start of 2025 due to injuries, and he also re-aggravated his calf injury three separate times during his rehab process. 

Still, the Yankees may decide to take their chances with a compromised version of him given Aaron Judge’s status is up in the air due to his calf strain. 

Regardless of whether or not Stanton comes back, the Yankees are still viewed by many as the team to beat in the American League. Him being on the bench for the postseason would make things a bit easier for the Guardians. 

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