Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton slams the door on possible torpedo bat/injury controversy

New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton said he will use a torpedo bat when he returns from the injured list.

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Stanton's injury history was one of the more controversial angles to the story of the "torpedo bats" that exploded over the weekend. Four Yankees hitters — Paul Goldschmidt, Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm and Cody Bellinger — used the modified bat design Saturday, when the team set a franchise record by hitting nine home runs against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Michael Kay explains that the Yankees made new bats "where they moved a lot of the wood into the label so the harder part of the bat is going to strike the ball."

Seems relevant today... pic.twitter.com/cpldzigdrT
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 29, 2025

Stanton hasn't played this year while he recovers from tennis elbow in both of his powerful arms. If the torpedo bats were to blame, Stanton didn't exactly shoot down the possible link when he said in March that “bat adjustments” he made last season could be responsible.

Tuesday, however, he put the possible controversy to rest.

Giancarlo Stanton was asked if torpedo bats were the "bat adjustments" he said may have contributed to his elbow injuries.

"You're not going to get the story you're looking for, so if that's what you guys want, that isn't going to happen."

Stanton said he will use a torpedo…
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) April 1, 2025

"You're not going to get the story you're looking for," he told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, "so if that's what you guys want, that isn't going to happen."

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The so-called "torpedo bats" are nothing new — the Chicago Cubs were using them in 2024. Bellinger had already been swinging one before he was traded to the Yankees in December. The Bronx Bombers also began toying with the design last year with help from analyst Aaron Leanhardt, currently the Miami Marlins' field coordinator. Stanton was among the early adopters.

"They should send a few [torpedo bats] over here if they're gonna be hitting homers like that."

—Manny Machado on the Yankees' 15 home runs in three games 😅 pic.twitter.com/BGtopgLD4Y
— ESPN (@espn) March 31, 2025

Stanton, 35, hit 27 home runs in 114 games last season. He's the active career home runs leader in baseball, with 429 in 15 seasons with the Yankees and Miami Marlins.

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