Giancarlo Stanton returned to the New York Yankees for Game 5 of the AL Championship Series after missing three straight games with a strained right quadriceps.
Stanton was set to start at designated hitter and bat fourth against Houston’s Justin Verlander on Friday night. The Yankees lost all three games in Stanton’s absence, falling behind 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Limited by injuries to 18 games during the regular season, Stanton homered in the series opener.
Edwin Encarnación, who had been the DH, moved to the bench.
Yankees Lineup:
LeMahieu 1B
Judge RF
Torres 2B
Stanton DH
Hicks CF
Sanchez C
Gregorius SS
Urshela 3B
Gardner LF