New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton starts rehab assignment

New York Yankees' slugger Giancarlo Stanton has started his rehab assignment here at the Double-A Somerset on Tuesday, which puts him one step closer to his 2025 debut for the club.

The former National League MVP was sidelined all season due to the epicondylitis in both elbows.

The five-time All-Star stacked workout days at the Yankees’ player development complex in preparation for the start of his rehab assignment.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone shared last week that he was improving gradually and did not know what would be the next step.

"He's probably headed up here, but I don't know the next step if it's a rehab assignment or what," Boone said.

Stanton has missed significant time due to injuries in the past seven years but still holds the record of MLB's active home run leader with 429 hits.

The 35-year-old recorded seven homers and a 1.048 OPS over 14 games during last year’s playoffs and won American League Championship Series MVP honours as the Yankees reached the World Series for the first time since 2009.

Playing exclusively as a designated hitter last season, Stanton batted .233 with 27 home runs and 72 RBIs in 114 games.

He lashed 162 homers and tooled in 431 runs while hitting .241 in seven seasons with the Yankees.

But the injuries to calf, hamstring, Achilles and elbows have hindered Stanton's availability.

He has averaged just 94.7 games per season since joining the Yankees, playing more than 115 games just twice, most recently in 2021 when he played 139 games.