The New York Yankees have yet to make a decision on the availability of designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, who departed in the sixth inning of the series opener in Houston on Friday with lower-leg tightness.
Stanton did not play in the Yankees’ 8-3 win over the Astros on Saturday, a victory that secured the three-game series for New York, which has an eight-game winning streak.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone was noncommittal on what direction the club would take with Stanton, who has an extensive injury history. A stint on the injured list is possible, but the club is awaiting additional information.
“We’re going to give it the day, kind of see how treatment is going,” Boone said Saturday. “I do think he got it in time to hopefully not do something serious to it. Whether that turns into a day-to-day situation or turns into a short IL, we’ll see.
“We also don’t want to just race to the IL 12 hours after, when hopefully something isn’t too serious. We’ll be smart about it; G knows that. We don’t want this to turn into a long-term situation, so we’ll proceed accordingly.”
Right-hander Luis Gil (1-1, 4.11 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale for the Yankees. He earned his first victory of the season in his start at the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday after tossing 6 1/3 scoreless innings with two hits, three walks and two strikeouts in a 4-0 win.
Gil is 1-0 with a 2.38 ERA in two career starts against the Astros.
Right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (2-0, 2.45 ERA) is the scheduled starter for the Astros on Sunday. He earned a 9-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Monday after surrendering two runs, five hits and four walks with three strikeouts across five innings. Arrighetti, who opened the season with Triple-A Sugar Land, has issued four walks in both of his starts this season.
Arrighetti has faced the Yankees once. He allowed five runs on eight hits, including three home runs and three walks with four strikeouts across five innings in a 9-4 road loss on May 8, 2024, to the Cardinals.
The Astros welcomed back one of their 10 pitchers on the injured list on Saturday, with left-hander Bennett Sousa (oblique) reinstated after missing the first 27 games of the season.
The Astros appear close to having ailing left-handed closer Josh Hader and right-hander Tatsuya Imai (arm fatigue) back after Hader threw 25 pitches in a live batting practice on Saturday. Hader (biceps) is scheduled for one additional session before a determination on his readiness is addressed. Imai, meanwhile, will throw a bullpen before departing for a rehab assignment.
Astros manager Joe Espada said he was happy to have Sousa back, but the player struggled in his season debut. He walked four batters, including three left-handed hitters, in the seventh inning.
“That lineup is going to force you to throw strikes,” Espada said. “They did it throughout the entire game.”
–Field Level Media
