Stanton set for Monday return to Yankees' lineup

BOSTON -- The Yankees have sorely missed Giancarlo Stanton’s presence in the heart of the lineup, and they are counting the days until the slugger’s return, which now appears to be imminent.

Stanton could be activated for Monday’s game against the Phillies in Philadelphia, said manager Aaron Boone, who added that Stanton’s recovery from a left hamstring strain has been going well back in New York.

“He’s doing a heavy day back there today, so let’s get through that and see where we’re at,” Boone said before the Yankees’ game at Fenway Park on Friday night.

It is likely that Stanton will rejoin the lineup without going on a Minor League rehab assignment, as the club believes he can rack up a significant number of at-bats by using high-tech tools like a Trajekt pitching machine.

Stanton was hitting on the field and running bases during the club’s recent homestand, which concluded on Wednesday.

“He’s pretty much done everything he needs to do,” Boone said. “Now it’s about building a little bit of volume. The things that you need to see when he’s been out for a while, obviously he doesn’t play the field that much, so we’re not trying to [play defense]. But you want to build up that volume.

“When you’re training for a race or a marathon, you’ve got to build that endurance, too. It’s about stacking days of volume and seeing how the bounce-back is.”

It is similar to what Stanton did last season, when he played in just one Minor League game before rejoining the Yankees for a June series in Los Angeles. That may not be the best example, though; Stanton hit just .145 (10-for-69) in 20 games that month, with 24 strikeouts.

The Yankees will roll the dice that this time will be different, partially because of their needs. Their .593 OPS out of the cleanup spot this season ranks last among the 30 Major League clubs. They are 8-17 since June 23, their first day after Stanton was injured running the bases against the Braves.

At the time of his injury, the 34-year-old Stanton was slashing .246/.302/.492 (128 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 18 home runs and 45 RBIs in 69 games, representing a nice bounce-back campaign after he compiled just a .191/.275/.420 slash line (87 OPS+) in 101 games last season.

The current stint on the injured list is Stanton’s eighth trip to the IL in the past six years. Last season, he missed 43 games with a left hamstring strain sustained in April.

“Just being out in general sucks,” Stanton said last week, “and then not being able to help the team at all during any type of stretch -- let alone a bad one.”