Scar tissue puts Stanton’s Marlins return on hold

WASHINGTON The on-again-off-again status of Giancarlo Stanton is back on hold after tests performed earlier in the week on his injured left hand revealed an “abnormal amount” of internal scar tissue.

Stanton hasn’t taken batting practice since Monday in New York and doesn’t expect to step back in the cage again until Saturday at the earliest.

He said doctors in New York told him “the strength’s not there. Don’t overdo it. Do what’s manageable.”

Stanton said he still hopes to play before the end of the season.

But time is clearly running out. And he said the scar tissue won’t be gone anytime soon.

“Not in a couple of weeks,” Stanton said, understanding it might require the entire offseason for the hand to completely heal.

“That’s kind of the big speed bump as far as getting the strength back,” he said. “That has altered the anatomy of my tendons. So that’s what’s going on.”

After breaking the hamate bone on June 26 and undergoing surgery, Stanton was initially expected to miss anywhere from four to six weeks. But his recovery has taken far longer.

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