Giancarlo Stanton speaks out for 1st time since injury

Giancarlo Stanton still needs to have five teeth fixed or replaced, along with a procedure to assess how much blood remains in his sinus cavity, and he will be understandably leery the next time he grabs a bat. The Miami slugger spoke out for the first time Thursday about the injury that ended his season, doing so while still sporting a pair of slightly blackened eyes and with a wound evident over the left side of his mouth. Stanton rejoined the Marlins exactly one week after taking a fastball from Milwaukee’s Mike Fiers in the face. “Swelling’s way down, much better than I envisioned,” Stanton said. “Just got to get the grill fixed.” When he returns, Stanton said he will wear additional protection on his helmet. He led the N.L. with 37 home runs and 105 RBIs when he got hurt. – Associated Press