Giancarlo Stanton Injury Update: Marlins Activate Star OF vs. Phillies

The Miami Marlins have gotten their biggest bat back.

The Marlins reinstated Giancarlo Stanton from the disabled list and classified him as active for Tuesday night's game against the Philadelphia Phillies, which they announced via Twitter: 

According to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, Miami will only use Stanton as a pinch hitter, and it's unclear when he can fully return to the lineup. If he were to reach base, Stanton would not require a pinch runner, per Spencer. 

However, in the fifth inning on Tuesday, Stanton hit a pinch-hit single and was promptly lifted for a pinch runner, per Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. 

Stanton has been out since Aug. 13 because of a groin injury he suffered when sliding into second base:

Originally forecasted as a season-ending injury, Stanton missed just 22 games, though his absence had an adverse effect on the Marlins' postseason hopes. 

Heading into Aug. 14, the Marlins were 60-56 and just .5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the second National League wild card spot. Entering play Tuesday, Miami had fallen to 68-70 on the season, sitting five games behind the Cardinals for the second wild card spot.

While Stanton wasn't enjoying his best season prior to his injury—he had a .244 batting average along with 25 home runs and 70 RBI—opposing pitchers still had to be wary of him. It was especially true when he was able to get ahold of a pitch, as his power can turn a game on its head: 

Since Stanton went on the disabled list, Miami has gone just 8-14 while losing nine of its past 10 games. With the Cardinals, New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates all ahead of the Marlins in the wild-card standings, they can only hope Stanton's bat sparks a turnaround with 24 games remaining. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.