Daily Report – 2/26/25

Greetings,

Here is today’s report:

Yankees

I’m scared.

I’m scared that Giancarlo Stanton is considering retirement.

When a Yankees player gets injured and returns to New York during Spring Training, the immediate concern is typically that he is seeing a doctor. According to Jon Heyman, Stanton went back to New York earlier this week to undergo tests for dual-elbow tendinitis.

I understand that Stanton has struggled with injuries throughout his career. But then, Aaron Boone mentioned that Stanton returned to New York to address a personal issue.

The Yankees renovated George M. Steinbrenner Field over the winter, and they now have top-of-the-line medical facilities on-site. There is also a large player development facility just down the road from the stadium in Tampa. Unless Stanton genuinely returned to New York for personal reasons, wouldn’t it have made more sense for Dr. Ahmad to visit him in Tampa? The only other possibility is that Stanton’s injury is more serious than we fear. Or maybe there’s more to the story.

Aaron Judge stated earlier this week that Stanton is in good spirits, and he expressed hope that Stanton will return to the team healthy by the middle of the season. Judge knows more about Stanton’s situation than I do, but did he hint at a potential timetable for Stanton’s return with those comments?

Lastly, while Stanton dealt with his elbow injuries last season, they did not prevent him from performing during the postseason. It’s possible that his playoff performance exacerbated his condition, but there is no clear explanation for why he engaged in baseball activities this offseason or why he claimed at camp that he hadn’t swung a bat in four to six weeks.

Considering all this information, I can’t help but wonder whether Stanton will ever play another Major League Baseball game.

And that scares me.

Rangers

This afternoon, it was announced that the Rangers placed Adam Fox on injured reserve due to an upper-body injury, likely to his shoulder. He suffered a hard hit late in last night’s game. This is a significant loss for the Rangers, as Fox is their most impactful defenseman. He has recorded 48 points in 58 games. However, the Rangers are optimistic that Fox will return before the end of the regular season.

K’Andre Miller also left last night’s game with a lower-body injury. No updates have been released yet regarding his status.

Despite being outshot 18-37, the Rangers defeated the New York Islanders 5-1 on Long Island last night. Jonny Brodzinski scored twice and added an assist, while Urho Vaakanainen recorded two assists and scored a goal in the win. Brennan Othmann played in his fourth NHL game and created a screen for one of Brodzinski’s shots. Matt Rempe also lit the lamp.

“It was a ton of fun,” said Jonny Brodzinski after last night’s win. “It kind of felt like we were back in Hartford for a little bit.” This statement raises the question: Was Brodzinski insulting the Islanders by comparing them to an AHL team or was he simply referring to his linemates, Matt Rempe and Brennan Othmann? I’ll assume the latter, but I’ll leave it open to interpretation…

I firmly believe that shooting the puck is the best way to score goals. The top NHL teams are typically the most aggressive on the boards, and they succeed offensively by forechecking consistently to create more scoring chances than their opponents. Consider teams like Tampa Bay, Florida, and Vegas. Their success stems from both their physicality and their offensive prowess. The two ARE connected.

I commend the Rangers for recording 47 hits last night, their highest total since March 9, 2021, but we shouldn’t be deceived by that statistic. Had the Rangers maintained more offensive zone pressure, the need for hits would have been less pronounced.

Against teams like the Islanders and Penguins, the Rangers – who often prioritize finesse over physicality – can outscore their opponents even while getting outshot. But when it comes to physicality (and I will dive deeper into this in tomorrow’s report), Saturday’s loss in Buffalo served as a reminder that the Rangers share the same struggles as every Eastern Conference team vying for a playoff spot. Except, of course, goaltending.

Goaltending was a decisive factor in last night’s game between the Rangers and Islanders. Igor Shesterkin saved 36 of 37 shots on goal, allowing just one low-danger goal from 12 low-danger shots while making 10 saves on high-danger shots and 11 on medium-danger shots. In contrast, Ilya Sorokin, who grew up with Shesterkin (fun face), was pulled after 40 minutes of play because he only saved six of 11 shots on goal for a .545 save percentage. Those included two saves of three high-danger shots, one of three medium-danger shots, and three of five low-danger shots.

The Rangers have capitalized on some easy scoring chances against Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Long Island this week. However, the schedule toughens this weekend, and without Adam Fox, other players will need to step up. Early last season, when Fox went down with an MCL injury, Erik Gustafsson filled in, and then the Rangers went on to win the President’s Trophy. Let’s hope Fox recovers quickly, but perhaps this injury will serve as an opportunity for the Rangers to improve even further as they sit two points out of a playoff spot.

Knicks

The Knicks are hosting Philadelphia right now on ESPN and MSG.

Giants

Is Matthew Stafford heading to the Giants? I’ll dive into this in tomorrow night’s Thursday Night PrimeTime Report.

That will conclude this report. Enjoy your evening.