NEW YORK — New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton sidestepped the topic of whether so-called torpedo bats caused the epicondylitis, or “tennis elbow,” that he’s experiencing in both of his elbows.
“You’re not going to get the story you’re looking for,” Stanton said in the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. “So if that’s what you guys want, that ain’t going to happen.”
Stanton first started using the unique bats last season. In March, when asked what he thought may have caused the injury, he told reporters, “Probably some bat adjustments. That’s all I could attest it to.” Later in the same interview, he added, “I don’t know why it happened.”
A sports orthopedic surgeon told The Athletic that Stanton’s “violent” swing could be at the root of his injury.
Stanton missed all of spring training and it isn’t clear when he might return to the big leagues.
The 35-year-old slugger said he will continue to use torpedo bats.
“It makes a lot of sense,” Stanton said of the bats. “But it’s like, why hasn’t anyone thought of it in 100-plus years? It’s explained simply, and then you try it, and as long as it’s comfortable in your hand. We’re creatures of habit. So the bat’s got to feel like a glove or an extension of your arm.”
The bats became the talk of baseball over the weekend after some Yankees used them in a franchise-record nine-home-run performance Saturday, and after it was revealed players throughout baseball had been experimenting with them. The bats differ from standard bats in that they redistribute weight from the end of the bat toward the hitter’s hands and in some cases give hitters bigger sweet spots. Ex-Yankees coach Aaron Leanhardt, now with the Miami Marlins, has been widely credited with being the brains behind them.
Stanton added that his elbows are feeling “better” and that he’s begun to hit off the Trajket hitting machine, which simulates live pitching and high velocity.
But he said that he expects to need a minor-league rehab assignment of a yet-to-be-determined length. He also said he wasn’t sure when that would happen.
“I don’t know what you consider close,” he said, “but next week (or) the following week or something? No. Getting the feel back. Getting the full days back.”
He said he’ll have to deal with some level of pain in his elbows and that his return will be contingent on one thing.
“This is very unique,” he said. “I definitely haven’t missed a full spring before. It will just depend on timing, really. How fast I can feel comfortable in the box vs. live pitching?”
Stanton said he didn’t have a moment when he decided the torpedo bats were best for him. He said he tried several models and became comfortable with them. He added that he has often tinkered with his bats throughout the years, adjusting the length and the weight depending on how he felt and the pitcher he was slated to face.
He said he was surprised to see the amount of attention the bats have gotten.
“But when there’s a narrative,” he said, “that’s how it rolls.”
(Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)