NEW YORK — Giancarlo stanton, one of the first known adopters of the torpedo bat, declined Tuesday to say whether he believes using it last season caused the tendon ailments in both elbows that forced him to begin this season on the injured list.
Last month, Stanton alluded to “bat adjustments” he made last season as a possible reason for the epicondylitis, commonly known as tennis elbow, he’s dealing with.
“You’re not going to get the story you’re looking for,” Stanton said. “So, if that’s what you guys want, that ain’t going to happen.”
Stanton used a torpedo bat last season and said he’ll use it again when he returns from IL. He’s been receiving PRP injections (platelet-rich plasma) and is hitting off a machine ahead of a minor league rehab assignment.
By now it seems like the torpedo bat is old news, making its way into seemingly every Major League clubhouse and dugout since the Yankees’ March onslaught shed new light on something that already existed. Former Yankees analyst Aaron Leanhardt developed the bat, which was used a bit in 2024 and found its way to the Twins and Rays during Spring Training.
The bats are completely legal, obviously, but for the record, this is verbatim from the MLB rulebook, explaining why the design of the barrel doesn’t violate any rules:
3.02 The Bat
(a) The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood.
NOTE: No laminated or experimental bats shall be used in a professional game (either championship season or exhibition games) until the manufacturer has secured approval from Major League Baseball of his design and methods of manufacture.
(b) Cupped Bats. An indentation in the end of the bat up to 1¼ inches in depth is permitted and may be no wider than two inches and no less than one inch in diameter. The indentation must be curved with no foreign substance added.
(c) The bat handle, for not more than 18 inches from its end, may be covered or treated with any material or substance to improve the grip. Any such material or substance that extends past the 18-inch limitation shall cause the bat to be removed from the game.
Rule 3.02(c) to 3.03(f)
NOTE: If the umpire discovers that the bat does not conform to (c) above until a time during or after which the bat has been used in play, it shall not be grounds for declaring the batter out, or ejected from the game.
Rule 3.02(c) Comment: If pine tar extends past the 18-inch limitation, then the umpire, on his own initiative or if alerted by the opposing team, shall order the batter to use a different bat. The batter may use the bat later in the game only if the excess substance is removed. If no objections are raised prior to a bat’s use, then a violation of Rule 3.02(c) on that play does not nullify any action or play on the field.
(d) No colored bat may be used in a professional game unless approved by Major League Baseball
FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Giancarlo Stanton Says Torpedo Bat Has Nothing to do with Elbow Injuries | Elite Sports NY