The transition from Miami to New York has not gone smoothly for Giancarlo Stanton so far.
He’s hitting a career-low .210, and has already struck out 27 times in only 62 plate appearances. Stanton has blasted three home runs so far, but his inability to have productive at-bats with men on base has really hindered the team’s offensive output.
Tuesday’s 9-1 loss to the Marlins featured more of the same in the game. Stanton came to the plate against his former team in the first inning, with two men on and no outs, but hit into a double play. That resulted in the fans at Yankee Stadium showering him with boos.
The fans have been clear in how they feel about Stanton, and it was finally time for Yankees manager Aaron Boone to address the possibility of moving him down in the batting order. Boone stated that he’s considering moving Stanton down in the upcoming series against the Blue Jays, but not “too far,” according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. He also had this to say:
“Once he gets rolling, it will be a juggernaut,” Boone said.
It’s a long season, and Stanton’s awful at-bats early in games are hurting the team’s momentum, so it certainly makes sense to move him down in the lineup. The change may help take some pressure off him as well. At some point in the future, he’ll likely heat up, and then he can possibly hit in the three-spot again, but until that time, he might be better suited at the five or the six. The Yankees have plenty of other guys that can be productive at the plate.
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