As the month of June passed the midway point, the New York Yankees and their fans received some excellent news on the injury front: Giancarlo Stanton is returning against the Los Angeles Angels.

After a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset, Stanton is officially back in the lineup after missing the first 70 games of the 2025 season due to “tennis elbow,” or epicondylitis. The elbow issues had bothered him last year but he was able to play through them before they became untenable in spring training 2025. There were concerns that the primary DH might not return for even an extended period; surgery was considered. However, the big guy is back, and it makes for some interesting storylines with the current roster.

Everyone in baseball knows what Stanton can provide to the Yankees’ lineup. Having his bat sit in the middle of the order — one that posted a 114 OPS+ and 27 home runs in 114 games played last season, including his usual, unbelievable run of hitting in the postseason — is just another weapon for a Yankees team that ranks second in fWAR behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Pablo Reyes, who has made his way into 24 games with 34 plate appearances and a .468 OPS, is the player on his way out as a result of the move. He was barely playing and the Yankees had other infield depth anyway.

Prior to tonight’s game, the Yankees made the following roster moves:
• Returned DH/OF Giancarlo Stanton (#27) from his rehab assignment and reinstated him from the 60-day injured list.
• Designated INF/OF Pablo Reyes for assignment.

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 16, 2025

A rotation between Ben Rice, Paul Goldschmidt and Stanton at first base and designated hitter will be something to watch moving forward (with Stanton a pure DH). Rice is the player to watch closely out of those three, as his cold streak recently has drawn some attention, and leaning toward the veterans for more playing time is an easier option for manager Aaron Boone. Stanton will likely be eased back into a regular role though, so don’t expect too many consecutive starts from him until the righty slugger is fully back in the swing of things.

Nonetheless, the storylines within the Yankees roster will sort themselves out through time, but whenever Stanton is in the lineup, he’s a threat, and the Yankees can always use more of those — especially against lefties.