Yankees dealt infuriating blow as Giancarlo Stanton hits IL

Everyone watching Saturday's New York Yankees-Minnesota Twins showdown thought Giancarlo Stanton's deep fly ball to left field was a home run. That includes YES play-by-play man Michael Kay, who misread the ball off the bat and assumed it went over the fence before delving into his signature home run call.

Incredibly, Kay wasn't the biggest loser in the blown call.

The play somehow resulted in (another) soft-tissue injury for Stanton, who's headed to the injured list with a hamstring strain, per Aaron Boone.

ESPN's Marly Rivera reported early Saturday that Oswald Peraza was in the clubhouse, which indicated bad news was about to drop. We now have the verdict, as the Yankees will be without their veteran slugger for at least the next 10 days, pending an MRI.

Yankees place OF Giancarlo Stanton on 10-day IL with left hamstring strain

Stanton exited Saturday's game for a pinch-runner immediately after his two-run double. The injury likely didn't occur during his home run trot, but when he sped up after realizing the ball wasn't leaving the park.

This is just speculation, obviously, but you can't rule anything out given Stanton's lengthy history of leg injuries. The 33-year-old is scheduled to undergo an MRI, which should provide a clearer timetable for his return.

Stanton got off to a hot start in the young season, hitting .269/.296/.558 while ranking second on the team with four home runs and tied for the club lead with 11 RBI.

It's maddening to think legging out a double can result in a pulled hammy, but this is simply the Giancarlo Stanton Experience in 2023.

Hopefully the MRI comes back relatively clean and Stanton is able to return within two weeks, but we're not holding our breath.

There's really no silver lining here, but Peraza getting promoted does offer some excitement in the wake of this news.

The Yankees have been reluctant to call up Peraza due to a lack of available playing time. He's the more natural shortstop than Anthony Volpe, so Boone could get creative with his defensive alignment -- like playing Peraza at shortstop and Volpe at second while potentially slotting the in-form Gleyber Torres to DH.

Let's hope Peraza makes the most of his opportunities because all signs point to Josh Donaldson getting activated Wednesday after his rehab game Tuesday with the Somorset Patriots.