The last one looks nothing but unbelievable to fans. The last time Giancarlo Stanton played for the New York Yankees was on April 24 against the Houston Astros, when he felt a pop in his right calf while jogging between first and second base. It repeated last week, just in the other calf. This all comes down to the Yankees losing his back-to-back home runs in the 2024 postseason.

Giancarlo Stanton’s 2026 season with the New York Yankees has been put on pause after only 24 games. During his last game in Houston, Stanton was slashing .256/.302/.422 with three homers and 14 RBIs. The Yankees placed him on the injured list, retroactive to April 25, to heal from a right calf strain. But recovery looks different at 36, and the Yankees’ designated hitter has already had multiple setbacks.

The latest came during his rehab on August 20.

“Giancarlo Stanton might be out for the season after falling and injuring his other calf while running,” Talkin’ Yanks reported via Bryan Hoch on X.

Back in April, when Stanton injured himself, the Yankees did not place their star slugger on the IL until April 28, thinking that the issue would clear up without an IL stint. However, that changed after an MRI that revealed a low-grade strain.

At the time, manager Aaron Boone had emphasized the importance of not aggravating the injury further. What Boone feared happened.

In June, Stanton again injured his right calf while running the bases.

However, he was making progress and aiming for a return to the lineup before the end of the season, but those hopes are now almost dashed following his latest injury setback.

“Giancarlo Stanton strained his other calf. He fell while running. Moderate grade strain, Aaron Boone said. He may be out for the season,” MLB reporter Bryan Hoch posted on X.

On August 20, Stanton fell on his back while running between the bases. This time, he injured his other calf. Boone described his latest left calf strain as “moderate” while still trying to hold on to the hope of Stanton making it back for October baseball.

“We’re not ruling anything out,” Boone said before Saturday’s game, per MLB.com.

“He’ll obviously continue to work to try to get it right and hopefully be available. Obviously, we’re at a point in the calendar where it gets challenging. But you also never know.”

Only 33 games are left in the regular season before the playoffs begin. And his contribution in the 2024 postseason has been undeniable.

The historic streak started against the Cleveland Guardians.

His home run in ALCS Games 3, 4 & 5 earned him the ALCS MVP award. Next came World Series Game 1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Stanton launched a 412-foot, two-run shot off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty in the 6th inning, making him the first player in MLB history with multiple career postseason streaks of 4+ consecutive games with a home run.

Watching Stanton hit 57 home runs in 2017 with the Miami Marlins, the Yankees decided to bring him in and pair the man with Aaron Judge. A boost to the lineup’s right-handed power. As the NY Times wrote,

“Two larger-than-life sluggers in the middle of their primes were supposed to form the sport’s most devastating home run duo. They were supposed to win multiple championships.”

Since then, the only complete season he played was the next one – 2018.

Counting from 2019, he has played only 606 games. But he is earning $29 million this season, as the team had assumed $265 million of the remaining obligation from the Marlins, who signed him to a 13-year, $325M. But analysts feel that is the worst deal a major league team could have signed because of how little he has done. Yet, we couldn’t help but notice how his presence has helped this time.

The Yankees last appeared in the postseason in 2024, and Stanton played 114 games that season, the most since 2021. He recorded 27 homers that season, with a .233 BA and a .298 on-base percentage.

Stanton is considered one of the most feared October hitters of his generation. But it is a fact that his leg needs to heal fully before he ramps up, batting practice, and rehab start.

2019 was a similar year for Stanton, when a multitude of issues with his biceps, shoulders, calf, knee, and quad limited him to only 18 games. He missed playing time in the following seasons, too.

Stanton suffered from a left quad strain (2021), right ankle inflammation (2022), left Achilles tendinitis (2022), left hamstring strains (2023), and elbow epicondylitis (2025).

But during his full season in 2024, 158 games, his record stood at .266 BA. In fact, even before leaving the team this season, he was batting .256 with three homers and 14 RBIs.

During the Yankees’ last World Series run in 2024, Stanton had a historic postseason. In 14 games, he hit 7 home runs and 16 RBIs while hitting .273. But this time, the Yankees might have to navigate October baseball without Stanton.

Over the last few weeks, the team was counting on his return. But right now, they should start planning otherwise already. Because, per medical sources, a moderate calf strain can take 3 to 8 weeks of rehab time. The Pinstripes would definitely want a fully healthy one once he’s back, the one who used to post a 140wRC+ season regularly.

It was his musing to reach 500 homers by the end of his career. But by the looks of it, that may not happen, and so do the speculations of him being a Hall of Famer. Especially because 2027 means he will be 37.

The Yankees shifted to Stanton once they got to know that Shohei Ohtani won’t sign with an East Coast team. But that wasn’t a mere alternative.

In 2017, he was ranked in the 71st percentile in his sprint speed. And for the days, he has played with the team, it has been incredible. In 202 postseason plate appearances, he has a .926 OPS, second in franchise history among players with at least 200 postseason plate appearances, trailing only Hideki Matsui’s .933.

When healthy, he has posted a 124 wRC+. His 18 postseason homers are tied for the third most in the Yankees’ history with Mickey Mantle. Only Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter have more.

However, one piece of good news for the Yankees is Aaron Judge’s imminent return. After suffering a stress fracture in his first right rib, Judge has progressed enough to target a September return.

“He’s one of our leaders in the clubhouse, so it’ll definitely suck to not have him come back,” shared Jazz Chisholm Jr about Giancarlo Stanton.

And their manager, Aaron Boone, agreed on how great his presence has been in the clubhouse.

“He’s in the trenches with the guys as much as he can be. I admire him so much and who he is and the way he goes about things. When he speaks, you listen,” said Boone.

But right now, it’s time for the New York Yankees to start getting creative with their lineup.

Aaron Judge can be the DH once he is back and they might keep him off the outfield duties. Meanwhile, Spencer Jones can continue his season with the team, which can go deep every night. The outfield may have Jasson Domínguez, Heliot Ramos, Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, and Jones.

With these options and mix and match, they can decide whether to keep Judge in right field. Yet, teammates are completely aware of what they would be missing, while the Bleacher Creatures keep wondering what could’ve been if Giancarlo Stanton played complete seasons all these years…