Giancarlo Stanton Prepping for Friday Return
By Bill Pivetz
There have been a lot of injuries this season. Tommy John surgeries, broken bones, torn ligaments. These major injuries affect fantasy lineups in a big way, especially when it happens to a player you drafted early in the draft. It seems like there has been a lot of bad news this season. So, I’m here to bring you some good news. Miami Marlins superstar slugger Giancarlo Stanton is gearing up for a return on Friday, Sept. 4.
If you kept him, you are breathing a big sigh of relief. If you dropped him, two things. One, why? And two, go get him back. If he is available for some odd reason, spend whatever FAAB dollars you have left to get him.
Giancarlo Stanton was having another excellent season before breaking his hamate bone. After getting hit in the face by a pitch last September, he was ready to start fresh this season. In just 74 games, Stanton hit 27 home runs, 67 RBI with a .265/.346/.606 line and 95:34 K:BB ratio.
Despite not playing since June 26, he still ranks No. 15 on the home run leaderboard this season. If he were to play 140 games this season, career high is 150 in 2011, he would have finished with 51. Honestly, 51 isn’t that farfetched. He would be competing with Nelson Cruz and Josh Donaldson for the No. 1 spot.
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He is 12 home runs in June, tied for second in the league, before injuring his hamate bone in his left hand. It is an injury that would require surgery. Giancarlo Stanton was estimated to miss four to six weeks. That would have put the return date sometime in August. Well, today is August 31 and he isn’t back yet.
However, that is about to change. Giancarlo Stanton is set to begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday with High-A Jupiter with the goal to be back with the Marlins on Friday.
The Marlins have no reason to rush Stanton back, as they are 20.5 games back of the New York Mets in the NL East. Also, a hamate bone injury is one of the hardest ones to come back from, so expect him to struggle a bit during his first week back.
Giancarlo Stanton is still owned in 98.9 percent of ESPN.com leagues, despite missing two months. So, it is highly unlikely you can finding him sitting on the waiver wire in your league. However, if you own him, get ready to put him back into your lineup right away.