Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton thinks playing field has positive effect on hitting

Giancarlo Stanton, whom the Yankees in recent years have treated like a piece of fine porcelain when it comes to using him in the field, at last got regular time in the outfield in the second half of last season.

Stanton, who started in rightfield Saturday and has said he hopes to play the field two or three days a week this season, saw his offensive numbers tick up at the same time, which, he said earlier this week, was not a coincidence.

“I mean, I enjoyed being out there,” said Stanton, a regular in the Marlins’ outfield in his eight seasons there to start his career. “That’s obviously what I’ve done my whole career. I think it was a good switch-up from just DHing. I think it was good to be more engaged in the game. You don’t realize how somewhat disconnected from the game you are when you’re just DHing. I think it was a good change.”

Backing up his words, Stanton hit a 437-foot two-run homer to left-center into the bleachers above the Red Sox bullpen in the sixth inning Saturday to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead. Oddly, it was only his third-best exit velocity of the day. He earlier hit 115.7- and 113.4-mph groundouts; the homer left his bat at 112.0 mph.

Stanton has homered in six straight games against the Red Sox and seven of the last eight. What’s up with that? “Not too sure,’’ he said. “We didn’t execute the most important one last year, I know that. So just focusing on right now. Had two fortunate ones to help us win this year and just have to keep it going.”

The Yankees started Stanton in leftfield last July 30 in an interleague game in Miami, the first of 26 games he played in leftfield or rightfield. He hit .343 with a 1.065 OPS in 10 games in left and .279 with a .968 OPS in 16 games in right. He hit .273 with an .870 OPS in 139 total games.

What’s the difference as a hitter between being the DH and playing the field? “I can’t tell you why I hit them when I’m playing outfield or DHing,’’ Stanton said. “There’s just a different rhythm to the game. I have to be able to master both of them because I’m going to do both.”

Infield looking good

At least for one day, the Yankees’ new-look infield played to rave reviews.

“I thought it was really good,” Aaron Boone said before Saturday afternoon’s game.

Early in spring training, in an acknowledgment of the club’s overall defensive shoddiness in recent years, the Yankees shipped Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela to the Twins in exchange for third baseman Josh Donaldson, shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and backup catcher Ben Rortvedt (who started the season on the injured list with a Grade 1 right oblique strain).

Donaldson not only drove in the winning run in the 11th inning of Friday’s season-opening 6-5 victory over the Red Sox but made plenty of impact in the field. He started two 5-4-3 double plays and also went into foul ground on J.D. Martinez’s grounder and threw across the diamond for the out. Kiner-Falefa, considered a glove-first player — a reputation he and the Yankees believe he will change — handled everything hit his way with relative ease, although his bobble on a potential double-play ball forced the Yankees to settle for a forceout.

DJ LeMahieu started at second base in place of Gleyber Torres — who was back in the lineup at second Saturday afternoon with LeMahieu at third and Donaldson the DH — and had no issues. Anthony Rizzo played his usual solid first base.

“I thought DJ turned over a couple of really good double plays from Donaldson, not automatic ones,” Boone said. “Isiah I thought really showed his athleticism with how easy he made that play up the middle [a grounder hit by Rafael Devers to start the third] . . . I thought infield defense-wise was certainly one of the factors in the game. Had some big plays in spots.”

King of the mound

Michael King, whom the Yankees plan to use as a swingman this season, earned the victory in the opener, allowing one hit and striking out three in the 10th and 11th innings.

King, who talked extensively in spring training about the refined curveball/slider hybrid that Corey Kluber helped with him last season, pitched well in a similar role in 2021.

“He really pounded the zone well,” Boone said Saturday. “And when he does that, he’s got weapons to get you out. I felt like he really carved them up there.”

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.