Giancarlo Stanton suffered Grade 2 hamstring strain in extremely unfortunate way

The New York Yankees are no strangers to losing Giancarlo Stanton for long stretches of time, and have weathered this storm before.

Still, the manner in which Stanton appears to have suffered a rather severe Grade 2 hamstring strain this weekend would frustrate even the most hard-hearted Yankee fan.

Stanton was off to a hot and healthy start this season, mixing in some outfield work in the wake of Harrison Bader's injury to take the pressure off the team's roster construction. He was in the midst of a 131 OPS+ stretch to open the campaign, and had just socked one of his biggest hits of the year, giving the Yankees breathing room in a "must-win" game against the Twins with a booming two-run double.

It looked like a homer. It sounded like a homer. Michael Kay called it a homer. Somehow, the ball reached Death Valley and stayed in the park.

When Stanton saw that it had hit the fence instead of going over, he accelerated from a home run trot into something slightly more advanced. But when he reached second base, he was lifted for pinch-runner Aaron Hicks. Only the next morning did the extent of the damage -- or, really, the fact that there had been any damage at all -- become clear.

Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton suffered Grade 2 hamstring strain picking up speed on likely home run

According to Marly Rivera, and confirmed by doctors across the Twitterverse, Stanton's Grade 2 injury will take a minimum of four-to-six weeks to heal. Others say four-to-eight. Regardless of the end of the time frame here, it's safe to expect Stanton to miss nearly two months with the injury, considering how carefully he's usually treated.

Perhaps the Yankees should treat him differently this time, considering how rarely their current plan seems to work.

As Aaron Boone said Sunday about Stanton's susceptibility to these types of injuries:

“He’s got an awesome build and physique. He works very hard to try and avoid these things. But unfortunately, it is something that’s happened with him."

There is no doubt Stanton works hard; he's not the kind of superstar who shies away from the New York media. He is well aware of the common criticism of his game. He is just as devastated as anyone else that this occurred again.

The particulars of this injury will not be forgotten. Stanton was just a few more feet of flight away from making Kay's call accurate and surviving to another game. The team can absorb this blow, but it's hard not to feel slighted by the circumstances of Stanton's departure.