TORONTO, ON – JULY 02: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees walks to the dugout during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on July 02, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
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The New York Yankees have spent much of the 2026 season navigating injuries to some of their most important players.
And while the club has remained atop the American League standings through numerous setbacks on the roster, the recent health concerns for superstar slugger Aaron Judge have sparked a larger conversation about how the organization can protect its franchise cornerstone over the remainder of his contract.
New York Yankees Have To Consider Cutting Giancarlo Stanton After Aaron Judge Return
In particular, Judge’s latest injury scare has made it clear that the Yankees need to rethink how they use the reigning American League MVP going forward.
And that discussion could eventually create a difficult decision involving fellow slugger Giancarlo Stanton.
“They cannot afford to lose his bat,” Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay said during a recent ESPN New York segment. “And I know that there’s one more year in Giancarlo Stanton’s contract, but I gotta tell you, the best path for them moving forward is that Aaron Judge is a full-time DH. There’s too much chance of him getting hurt in the outfield.”
The team could come up with some creative solutions and the lead figures won’t openly speculate on such a change, but Stanton’s role as the everyday designated hitter seems to be up in the air. The Yankees are sure to at least broach the topic with Judge as he recovers.
“(Manager Aaron) Boone has already urged Judge to be more conservative deciding when to dive and when to crash into the right field wall,” Bob Klapisch wrote for NJ.com. “The club will no doubt ask Judge to throttle back even further when he returns to action.”
New York Yankees Could Cut Giancarlo Stanton With $25 Million Left On Contract
Of course, that will leave a tough question to answer Stanton, whenever both he and Judge are healthy enough to return to the lineup.
“(Yankees owner) Hal Steinbrenner would have to decide to either a) turn Stanton into a pinch-hitter who’d be reduced to one start a week or b) release the slugger from the final year of his contract,” Klapisch added. “The main obstacle, of course, is money. The young Boss would be forced to swallow Stanton’s $25 million salary next year, although the Marlins would offset $10 million of that sum. As part of the trade that sent Stanton to New York prior to the 2018 season, the Marlins also agreed to pick up the $10 million club option for 2028.”
While it’s hard to imagine a slugger of Stanton’s caliber playing just once a week in such a small role, releasing him is hardly an appealing option. As Klapisch noted, he is set to earn $25 million — much of it paid by his former team, the Miami Marlins — next year with a club option for 2028 that is likely to get passed over either way.
The timing is particularly notable because Stanton remains under contract through 2027 and has occupied the designated hitter role for much of his Yankees tenure. Any significant shift toward using Judge as a full-time DH would inevitably create a roster crunch involving one of the franchise’s highest-paid veterans.
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