Giancarlo Stanton returns to Yankees after missing month with Achilles injury

Everything is looking up for the New York Yankees. After pulling out of a 4-14 skid and winning their last three games, the Yankees activated Giancarlo Stanton on Thursday. Stanton is expected to return to the team's starting lineup against the Oakland Athletics after missing a month with an Achilles injury.

Prior to the injury, Stanton was in the midst of another power-heavy season. Through 328 plate appearances, Stanton hit .228/.309/.498, with 24 home runs. Stanton was off to a fantastic start to the season, and was hitting .263 on June 17. That performance earned Stanton a trip to the All-Star game. It was the first time he made the All-Star team since joining the Yankees in 2018.

Over his last 28 games before landing on the Injured List, Stanton hit just .165. He also missed time in May due to a calf injury. It's unclear how much — if at all — both injuries affected Stanton's play during that rough stretch.

Yankees recovering after poor performance in August

Despite being nearly 30 games above .500, things haven't been rosy in New York recently. The Yankees went into an awful tailspin at the beginning of August, going 4-14 over the first 18 games of the month. The team has flashed signs of life recently, winning its last three games.

The Yankees will look to keep that momentum going against the Athletics. The team will play Oakland in a four-game series before taking on the Los Angeles Angels in a 3-game set. The Angels have a .416 winning percentage this season. The Athletics have been worse, posting a .368 mark.

The team's opponents, in addition to Stanton returning, provides the Yankees with a chance to fully right the ship and get back to playing World Series-worthy baseball. If both the team and Stanton can live up to expectations down the stretch, the Yankees will once again be a formidable team in October.