Giancarlo Stanton has been out of the Yankees lineup since exiting early with a strained right calf Friday night. The team has yet to announce an official move on the designated hitter but is expected to make a call to a potential IL prospect in some form before tonight’s game, according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post . And a foreign player Jason Dominguez reportedly on track to join the big league club, it appears that Stanton will need at least a short trip on the injured list.
Stanton, 36, hit .256/.302/.442 with three homers in his first 96 trips to the plate. It’s not his typical production rate, but Stanton’s 30.2% strikeout rate – while still well above the league average of 22.2% – is down from last year’s 34.2%. His batting numbers are consistently excellent; he averaged 94.1 mph off the bat with a solid rate of 44.3% and a big barrel rate of 18%, per Statcast.
If Stanton goes on the injured list, the Yankees could use the empty DH spot to get Dominguez some at-bats and maybe get some rest days to get the outfield trio. Aaron is the judge, Cody Bellinger again Trent Grisham. That quartet can rotate through the three outfield spots and the designated hitter slot.
The Yankees chose well Luis Gil weekend, so there’s no need to make the corresponding 26-man roster for Dominguez to move up to the majors. However, replacing Dominguez with Gil would leave the Yankees with 14 players at 12 positions. A second move to remove a position player from the lineup in favor of the pitcher (eg putting Stanton on the IL and recalling Gil or another arm to Triple-A) would make sense.
There may be other application programs, too. Shortstop Anthony Volpewho spent the first month of the season on the injured list while recovering from shoulder surgery, is expected to return this week, according to Franchys Romero of BeisbolFR.com. Romero suggests that Volpe will play a few more games with the Yankees’ Double-A team this week and work out on Wednesday or Thursday.
Volpe, who turns 25 tomorrow, struggled through the worst season of his career in 2025. The former major leaguer slashed .212/.272/.391 in 153 games and 596 plate appearances. He hit 19 home runs and swiped 18 bags, but Volpe saw declining contact rates in the strike zone and had his career worst against fastballs. The dip in production has been a mystery for most of the season, but manager Aaron Boone revealed in September that Volpe had a “minor” labrum tear in his left shoulder and had been battling shoulder pain since May. He underwent surgery to repair the tear in October.
Through his first eight rehab games, Volpe has turned in a .308/.333/.423 batting line. Only 23 plate appearances, but it’s an encouraging small sample for a young shortstop. His return will push the Yankees to make some roster decisions.
Jose Caballero he filled in quickly in Volpe’s absence. He is hitting .271/.314/.417 with three homers and 11 steals in his first 27 games. Caballero is not going anywhere, thanks to that production and the fact that he is manageable through the 2029 season. Volpe could push him into a relief role, but he won’t lose his roster spot. Bench infielder Amed Rosario had a good start and hit both right and left; you’re safe, too.
The easiest way would be to send Dominguez back to Scranton when Volpe returns. If the Yankees want to give Dominguez his big appearance after hitting .326/.415/.478 with a 12.3% walk rate and a 15.1% strikeout rate in 106 Triple-A plate appearances, there are other options to consider. Paul Goldschmidt he was brought back to the team Ben Rice at first but hasn’t reached lefties in a small sample this year. The one who plays outside Randal Grichuk have had similar problems. Both players have tallied only 33 plate appearances and have record numbers, however.
If the Yankees don’t want to walk away with the starting boot for either veteran, they can choose to hold JC Escarra to Triple-A and use Rice and Austin Wells as their two substitutes. Rice hasn’t been behind at all this season but he threw 229 innings last year and has a lot of major league experience. It’s always possible that another injury will crop up between now and Volpe’s scheduled opening window and make the answer more straightforward.
Another midfielder to keep in mind is the veteran Paul DeJong. He is currently in Triple-A on a minor league contract but can opt out of his deal at the end of the month. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that DeJong has told the Yankees that he will take the opportunity to opt out if he is added to the roster.
DeJong, still just 32 years old, hit six homers in his first 78 games with the Yankees’ Scranton affiliate in 2026. The Cardinals’ longtime shortstop is hitting .213/.359/.541 with a whopping 17.9% walk rate compared to a manageable 21.8%. Like Volpe, Caballero and Rosario, DeJong is a right-handed hitter. He is a more capable option at shortstop than Rosario but is generally a lighter hitter.
Having three other good players on the roster doesn’t mean you have a good chance for DeJong, but there may be some shuffling to get him in. If not, DeJong can take a long record of solid defense and a hot minor league start on the open market and see if a team in need of infield help has a place for him — or at least a less crowded path to drill than the one he’s currently facing in the Bronx.
