Giancarlo Stanton is back… and better than ever?

The Yankees’ slugger has been in and out of the lineup with the designated hitter spot taken up by Aaron Judge, but he’s been his MVP-like self during the second half of the season. 

Stanton started extremely slow after returning from his elbow tendinitis in both arms in mid June, hitting .243/.333/.270 with a single home run through his first couple of weeks in the lineup. 

He’s been a completely different hitter since the calendar turned to July. 

Since July 1, Stanton’s 15 homers are tied with Shohei Ohtani for the third-most in baseball heading into Friday’s play. 

His slugging percentage (.739) is the second-highest in the league behind only A’s rookie Nick Kurtz. 

Despite an 0-for-5 night on Thursday, Stanton comes into Saturday’s contest about as hot as he’s been all summer, hitting five home runs since Aug. 11 while starting just five games over that stretch. 

Stanton and the Yankees will draw Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet, who is pitching like a Cy Young candidate this season but has looked vulnerable of late. 

Over Crochet’s last four starts, he’s allowed four long balls. 

In his last start in the Bronx, Crochet was knocked around, allowing five earned runs on six hits and a homer over six innings. 

Stanton has only faced Crochet once, striking out, but I like his chances to get the better of him, given the hot streak he’s riding. 

Take Giancarlo to hit a home run for the juice, and to go over his total bases prop for a safe bet. 

The play: Giancarlo Stanton to hit a home run | Over 1.5 total bases

Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.