Yankees Injury Tracker: Mark Leiter Jr. nursing minor back issue

Here is the latest news and possible return dates for Yankees players...

Mar. 15, 7:15 p.m.

Mark Leiter Jr. is the latest Yankees reliever nursing an injury. The veteran right-hander, who hasn't seen any Graprefuit League action since March 6, was scratched from appearing in Thursday's game against the Detroit Tigers due to a back issue.

The good news is the team doesn't consider Leiter's back trouble as serious -- he's actually scheduled to throw live batting practice on Sunday. Following the Yankees' tie with the Rays on Saturday, manager Aaron Boone said they took a cautious approach to recovery and it "wasn't anything huge."

New York acquired Leiter last summer, in a deal with the Chicago Cubs ahead of the trade deadline. The 33-year-old wasn't too reliable in pinstripes, as he posted a 4.98 ERA with 33 strikeouts across 21.2 innings (21 apperances). But he's still a bullpen arm the team is relying on this season.

Feb. 19, 3:45 p.m.

Any hopes of Giancarlo Stanton appearing in the Opening Day lineup are dwindling by the day. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Wednesday that the veteran slugger, who's dealing with tendinitis in both elbows, has no timetable to resume baseball activities.

The news of Stanton's injuries was revealed a day before the Yankees' first full-squad workout of camp, when Boone noted that Stanton was "a little bit behind" in his ramp-up due to elbow pain that dates back to last season. Boone also stressed precaution then.

Stanton finally offered insight on Monday, admitting that he hasn't swung a bat in nearly a month due to "very high" pain in both elbows. While the injuries are a pain-tolerance matter -- he thrived in the 2024 postseason despite discomfort -- he also didn't express certainty in an Opening Day appearance.

Feb. 16, 2:13 p.m.

When the Yankees hold their first full-squad workout of spring camp on Monday, their veteran designated hitter won't be participating with full health.

While speaking to reporters on Sunday, manager Aaron Boone revealed that slugger Giancarlo Stanton is "a little behind" in his ramp-up due to discomfort in both elbows that dates back to last season, and his current status for Opening Day is "tough to say."

"Both elbows, really akin to tennis elbow, that he maintained and kind of played through, especially in the second half of the year," Boone said. "We want to make sure to give that as much time, so we'll probably slow-play him a little bit... It's just something that we don't want to rush if we can get to a really good spot, and know we'll probably have to deal with some maintenance with it throughout the year. But just don't want to force something too early."

The Yankees didn't exactly enter last season with expectations of Stanton being an essential contributor, but the team wouldn't have reached its first World Series since 2009 without the 35-year-old's production at the plate. He mostly carried the lineup in October, hitting .273 with seven home runs, 16 RBI, and nine runs across 14 postseason games. He also received ALCS MVP honors.

It's not at all surprising that Stanton is already nursing injuries. Since joining the Yankees back in 2018, he's played more than 130 regular-season games only twice. Last year, he spent five weeks on the injured list to due a hamstring issue.

Boone also noted that outfielder Trent Grisham pulled a hamstring a few weeks ago, but isn't "too far behind" in his return to full baseball activities.

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Yankees Injury Tracker: Mark Leiter Jr. nursing minor back issue

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