New York Yankees power hitter Giancarlo Stanton is doing something he hasn’t done in years: playing a different position than his usual right field or designated hitter.
According to a post by the team on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, Stanton will start tonight against the Houston Astros from left field, a position he hasn’t played since 2023. In Stanton’s usual place in right field is veteran and AL Player of the Week Cody Bellinger.
📍Houston, TX #RepBX pic.twitter.com/E8BBVjCjub
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 2, 2025
Stanton has played a majority of the last two seasons as designated hitter to keep his bat in the lineup but avoid exacerbating some chronic lower body and soft tissue injures. He had a delayed start to 2025 due to injury, not entering the Pinstripes’ lineup until the mid-season contest against the Los Angeles Angels.
However, Stanton was moved back to right field when superstar slugger Aaron Judge suffered a right flexor injury and was forced to occupy the DH slot. With Judge’s return date still uncertain, Stanton will stay in the outfield for an indeterminate amount of time.
Despite the change, Stanton has been a massive boost to the Yankees’ offense. He’s slashing a .295/ .374/ .624 this season, with 17 home runs, including his first-ever as pinch hitter. While many were worried Stanton’s time in the field was going to impact his play, he’s only gotten better as the season went on. In his last 15 games, the eighth-year Yankee is slashing .357/ .426/ .929.
The next couple of weeks are proving to be a critical stretch for the Yankees. They’re on the precipice of regaining the lead they had on the AL East earlier this year, only 2.5 games behind the slumping Toronto Blue Jays. However, division foes have been getting the best of New York, who are 3-7 against the Blue Jays and 2-8 against their arch rivals, the Boston Red Sox.
The Yankees have a three-game series each against both teams before the end of the regular season, and are going to have to improve their play to have a comfortable spot in the post-season. Fortunately, Stanton appears to not just be handling the switch back to the outfield, but excelling.
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