Giancarlo Stanton clears up concern over consecutive absences from Yankees lineup

The New York Yankees are going for a series win and playoff berth in Seattle on Wednesday night against the Mariners after their impressive 11-2 rout Tuesday. In that game, the offense got the job done without Anthony Volpe and Giancarlo Stanton.

For Wednesday's matchup, Volpe is back in there, but Stanton was nowhere to be found when the lineup dropped, which raised concern among the fanbase. The Yankees had Monday off, meaning Stanton will have not played in three straight days. Are we bracing for an injury at an inopportune time?

Turns out, we're in the clear. Stanton addressed the media shortly after and said he's "fine physically" and is out of action "for matchup reasons."

For all the deceiving the Yankees do, this seems to track. Though Stanton's been great against right-handed pitchers this year (and has somehow been way worse against lefties), that's historically not the case. So the fact he sat against Bryan Woo (2.85 ERA) on Tuesday and had the same fate against Bryce Miller (3.12 ERA) on Wednesday definitely makes sense.

Additionally, Stanton could benefit from a prolonged breather. He's just 7-for-41 this month with 15 strikeouts in 48 plate appearances. He hasn't homered since Sept. 2.

Giancarlo Stanton clears up concern over consecutive absences from Yankees lineup

Credit to manager Aaron Boone for successfully mixing and matching the lineup over the last couple weeks. The results haven't exactly been the greatest, but they won series against the Royals and Red Sox before exploding for 11 runs on Tuesday. It also helps to get as many looks from different guys ahead of the postseason, something fans have been begging for since July.

The Yankees now possess the necessary depth to experiment and give more breathers to those who are struggling. Stanton's largely had a very good season for what's become expected of him, but fans know how nightmarish it can get when his slumps are never-ending. On Aug. 25 he was batting .245 with an .801 OPS. He's now down to .233 and .770. He needs to be fixed before the start of the postseason, and some rest may be exactly what's required.

The one thing we are wondering, however, is why Boone is saving Stanton to face Logan Gilbert on Thursday. The right-hander is one of the most aggressive pitchers in MLB and owns the best WHIP at 0.89 to go along with 198 strikeouts in 191 2/3 innings. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.