Giancarlo Stanton Crushes 460-Foot Homer as Yankees Surge—Is This the Start of His Summer Power Run?

Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton signaled that his long-awaited comeback is officially underway, belting a towering three-run homer at Rogers Centre on Wednesday night for his first blast of the 2025 campaign. The shot, a 432-foot missile to straightaway center off Blue Jays left-hander Tim Hill, briefly erased Toronto’s early eight-run cushion before the Bombers ultimately fell, 11-9, and slipped into a tie atop the AL East standings. The exit-velocity king missed the season’s first 72 games while rehabbing tendinitis in both elbows—an injury that had nagged him since last September. After logging three rehab assignments with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Stanton returned to the lineup on June 16 and has gone 5-for-22 (.227) with two extra-base hits and six RBI in his first six contests. His trademark power resurfaced Wednesday when he turned a 95-mph sinker into a souvenir, clocked at 116.4 mph off the bat. Manager Aaron Boone said the blast is “exactly the swing we’ve been waiting for,” adding that Stanton’s presence lengthens a lineup that ranks just 10th in the league in OPS since May 1. The Yankees have averaged 4.2 runs in his starts this year versus 3.6 without him. Fantasy managers took notice as well: Stanton’s rostered rate on major sites jumped nearly 12 percent overnight after the homer. Beyond the box score, the 35-year-old is chasing milestones. Wednesday’s laser was career homer No. 431, moving him past Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. for 47th all-time. With 19 more, he would become just the eighth active player to crack 450. The Yankees, meanwhile, need every ounce of Stanton’s thunder as they jockey with Baltimore and Toronto in a three-team dogfight; New York starts a crucial seven-game homestand Friday against the division-leading Orioles. Stanton acknowledged the urgency postgame. “I’ve missed a lot of baseball,” he said. “Now it’s about being here every day and doing damage. We control our fate.” If his elbows cooperate—and Wednesday’s fireworks are any indication—the Bronx Bombers may have regained their most feared weapon at precisely the right moment.