The Yankees started playing Stanton in the field again last Saturday as a way to get his bat into the lineup with Aaron Judge currently limited to DH duties as he recovers from a right elbow flexor strain. Judge has thrown as far as 150 feet in his throwing progression, but there are no indications that his return to right field is imminent.

ST. LOUIS — Standing at his locker Sunday morning, Giancarlo Stanton noticed Yankees beat writers lurking nearby when his 10-minute chit-chat with YES Network play-by-play man Ryan Ruocco was breaking up.

After a rain delay that lasted nearly two hours, the Yankees smashed nine home runs in their 13-3 rout of the Rays in Tampa Bay on Tuesday night.