With their 2024 postseason hero Giancarlo Stanton sidelined for the foreseeable future with twin elbow injuries, the New York Yankees are looking for a new slugger to fill the designated hitter role, at least as a “stopgap” until the 35-year-old, five-time All-Star is healthy enough to return.

That was the report late Thursday from MLB insider journalist Jon Heyman, who in his New York Post column also said that the Yankees have ruled out promoting top power-hitting prospect Spencer Jones into the role, because the 2022 first-round draft pick (25th overall) out of Vanderbilt recently reworked his swing and needs further development as a hitter.

Yankees injured DH Giancarlo Stanton

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 30: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of Game Five of the 2024 World…  Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Instead, according to Heyman, the Bronx Bombers are giving a look to the last man to hit four bombs in a single big league game — J.D. Martinez.

Now a 37-year-old free agent, one of 65 still unsigned almost three weeks into spring training, Martinez became just the 18th hitter in MLB history to pull off the power-hitter’s equivalent of a perfect game on June 21, 2015, as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. And he did it against the Yankees — in Yankee Stadium.

It should be noted that historically, hitting four home runs in a game has been less frequent than pitching a perfect game. There have been 24 perfect games since 1880.

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Martinez has also spent time with three of the Yankees’ most heated rivals. He was the American League RBI leader (130) in 2018 when he was a member of the Boston Red Sox. Martinez played an indispensable role in leading Boston to a 108-win regular season capped off by the team’s fourth World Series championship in 15 years.

In 2023, at age 35, Martinez belted 33 home runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and in 2024, the Florida native who worked his way up from being a 20th-round Houston Astros draft pick in 2009 — the 611th player picked — saw 495 plate appearances for the New York Mets.

If they were to sign him, the Yankees would be looking for a bounce-back performance from Martinez, who showed signs of decline in 2024 with just 16 home runs and a .725 OPS, the lowest of his career outside of the pandemic-truncated, 2020 season.

If they choose not to sign Martinez, who is estimated by Spotrac to be worth a $9.5 million, one year contract in 2025, the Yankees need to do something to replace Stanton. The Yankees’ regular DH hit seven home runs for New York in last year’s postseason but now could be out for “weeks,” according to Heyman. Stanton, 35, is currently back in New York City, absent from the team.