SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino answers Yankees questions from readers...
Why are they so secretive with Stanton? Has he officially been placed on the IL and for how many days? No replacement, so is it Rice\righty platoon at DH? - @BillBrown35
I don’t know about secretive. I am told that Stanton responded well to the PRP shots and should be back to contribute before too terribly long. There is no exact timetable, but it does not sound nearly as dire as, well, Stanton made it sound when he called the injury “severe.”
Yankees officials were not as alarmed as fans by Stanton’s choice of words. The organization has long known Stanton as a player who does not sugarcoat injuries or provide overly optimistic prognoses. He’ll be out a while, don’t get me wrong. But the expectation is that he’ll be back with more than enough time to provide his typical late-season and October heroics.
In the meantime, yes, Ben Rice along with Aaron Judge and others will take the DH at-bats. External additions are always possible, too. Brian Cashman and his staff never stop looking.
Why do you think we care about the Yankees so much? Most of us are Mets fans. Genuine question! - @HeismanHedley
Your phrase “most of us” struck me. For whom are you presuming that you speak? Your social media bubble, which is naturally self-curated? Who are you to define what “us” means?
This is like when people on Twitter say “Mets fans think this” or “Mets fans think that.” Baseball fans are a diverse group with a wide range of opinions, most of whom are not on Twitter. Why not just speak for yourself? I accept and respect that you do not care about the Yankees.
Why can’t Juan Soto keep the Yankees out of his mouth - he chose to take the most money from the Mets , but he’s trying to play the victim card here by saying he still keeps tabs on the Yankees and their offseason … why can’t he just move on - @shamshirosenfe2
I find the fan angst on both sides of town regarding Soto’s feelings about the Yankees to be strange.
He is a human being who had a profound experience with his previous employer, coworkers and fan base. He initially hoped to return to that job, and then made a difficult decision to accept a new job at a company whose resources and culture left a strong impression on him and his family. He subsequently balanced feelings of loss with excitement about the new coworkers and fan base.
When reporters ask him about this, he does his best to answer openly, likely knowing that social media bullies will parse his every word despite his good faith attempts to share nuanced and evolving feelings.
In other words, let’s all give this young man a break.
What's your favorite vendor at Yankee Stadium? - @benjamntenison1
Christian Petroni meatballs and cheesy garlic bread. Yum yum.
Do the Yankees still win the division? - @drjevans182
I have Boston winning the American League East and the Yankees making the playoffs. My reasoning is that the Red Sox have dramatically improved their starting pitching by adding Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler and imported championship-caliber edge (and elite third base defense) with Alex Bregman. Alex Cora is a difference-making manager whose clubs exploit opponents’ weaknesses -- remember the Jose Trevino stolen base extravaganza at Fenway last year?
The Yankees should still be good, even without Gerrit Cole and, for several months, Luis Gil and Stanton. They have Max Fried and oodles of homegrown talent that could lead the offense. Players like Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells and Rice feature swings perfectly tailored to Yankee Stadium. And like the Red Sox, they have one of the best managers in the game.