Yankees Slugger Giancarlo Stanton Begins Rehab: Will He Face Red Sox This Weekend?

Here we go.

New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton will begin a rehab assignment tonight when he joins the Double-A Somerset Patriots.

Tonight is the beginning of a seven-game series between the Patriots and the Portland Sea Dogs, the Double-A affiliate of the Red Sox. First pitch for tonight’s game at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, N.J., is 6:35 p.m.

If all goes well, Stanton could face Boston this weekend and make his season debut when the Yankees visit Fenway Park for a three-game series with the Red Sox.

Stanton landed on the injured list during spring training with tendinitis in both elbows.

He previously rehabbed with Somerset (2022,2023) and is the seventh Yankee to rehab with the Patriots during the 2025 season, according to team officials.

With the 35-year-old Stanton sidelined, Ben Rice has been seeing extended time in the Yankees’ lineup. And he’s delivered, hitting 12 home runs while slashing .327/.497/.825.

If Stanton can return and stay healthy (and that’s a big “if” for someone who’s missed significant time in each of the last six seasons), he will team with reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge to form perhaps the best 1-2 combo in baseball.

Judge is hitting an MLB-best .396 with 23 home runs and 55 RBI.

According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, “Judge, with 23 homers and a .396 batting average, is the only player in modern-era baseball history to produce this many homers with this high of a batting average in his team’s first 64 games in MLB history.”

Judge and the Yankees open a three-game series Tuesday against the Royals, then travel from Kansas City to Boston for their weekend showdown with the Red Sox.