Giancarlo Stanton donned a New York Yankees uniform as the reigning National League MVP but also a potential payroll albatross.
As he enters the stretch run of his first campaign in pinstripes, Stanton is playing the role of season-saving superstar and earning every penny New York is paying him.
With his doppelganger and co-slugger Aaron Judge on the shelf and New York's postseason hopes suddenly in flux, Stanton has hoisted the Yanks onto his ample shoulders.
Judge went down July 26 with a fractured wrist. In August, Stanton owns a 1.051 OPS with eight home runs and 18 RBI.