Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton Has 'Good Chance' to Play Outfield vs. Astros, Boone Says

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone says there is a "good chance" Giancarlo Stanton will be playing in the outfield for the first time in almost two years on Saturday against the Houston Astros.

"I think he feels good about where he's at, and the week he's had out there," Boone said (h/t SNY).

He added, "He's always been a quality outfielder. It's just, some range is going to be limited, obviously. But I do feel like he can make the plays that need to be made."

Stanton has played exclusively at designated hitter for the Yankees since Sept. 14, 2023, per Baseball Reference.

SNY and NJ.com's Max Goodman shared videos of Stanton during outfield work on Friday afternoon.

Aaron Judge took over the DH position on Tuesday, when the Yankees activated him from the 10-day injured list during this week's series against the Texas Rangers.

That means Stanton has been left out of the lineup for the Yankees' last two games, and is set to miss a third on Friday, despite having one of the hottest bats in New York during the month of July with eight home runs and 20 RBI in 21 games.

The Yankees are easing Judge back into the lineup after he missed time with a flexor strain, an elbow injury that ESPN's Jeff Passan noted "often precede those to the UCL."

But the club will also want to be careful with Stanton, who made his season debut in June after dealing with elbow issues in both arms. He also hasn't recorded a positive OAA in the outfield since 2019, per Baseball Savant.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported on Wednesday that Judge could return to the outfield "sometime towards the weekend or early next week," but until then Stanton won't have a spot in the lineup unless he returns to the outfield.

The Yankees are set to open this weekend's series against the Astros on Friday night. Every win counts right now for a franchise that heads into Friday just 1.5 games ahead of the Rangers and Cleveland Guardians for the last Wild Card spot in the American League.