The New York Yankees received some flack for keeping former NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton on the active roster during the team’s six-game loss to the Houston Astros in the ALCS.
Stanton suffered an injury during Game 2 of the series and didn’t play the rest of the way. That roster spot could have been used for another position player to match up with Houston’s elite pitching staff.
In talking about the star outfielder, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman noted that Stanton was dealing with a Grade 2 quad strain.
The longtime front office executive also backed the decision to keep Stanton on New York’s roster by indicating that the team didn’t want to be without him for a potential World Series.
That really is some interesting logic right there. One would think that the Yankees’ priorities should have been making the Fall Classic before thinking about a player that they would have placed on the injured list if it were the regular season.
As it is, New York dropped the LCS in six games. Stanton played a combined 23 games between the regular year and postseason. That’s not a great return on their investment.