The Yankees got a welcome wave of injury news Tuesday, and the biggest sign of progress came from Giancarlo Stanton.
Before the series opener against the Seattle Mariners, Aaron Boone updated reporters on a few key rehabs, and Stanton was the headline. He was seen running the bases at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 11, another step in what Boone called his “introduction to some bases.”
For Stanton, that’s no small thing after the calf issue that’s kept him out since late April, especially after the awkward “stop and go” movement that led to the original strain. He later picked up another strain during his rehab, which pushed his return back even further.
Stanton’s pace may not look explosive, but the important part is that he’s moving again. The next question is whether he’ll need a rehab assignment before coming back, something Boone said is still a possibility.
Cody Bellinger is also moving in the right direction, and Boone’s comments suggested he may be the first position player to rejoin the lineup. Bellinger was placed on the injured list on July 26 with a hamstring injury, but on Tuesday he was seen shagging fly balls in the outfield.
Boone said it’s “probably” reasonable to expect Bellinger, Stanton and Aaron Judge to return in that order. He also said Bellinger is not “too far off” but is still dealing with some tightness.
That’s a big development for a Yankees team that has been without Stanton and Judge for months. Bellinger may not have been carrying the offense, but his defense matters, and the Yankees have held together better than most teams would in this kind of injury pileup. They still have a 6.5-game edge in the Wild Card race and sit two games ahead of the Red Sox, who just went on an historic 27-3 run over 30 games.
The pitching side is getting help, too. Carlos Rodón is close to rejoining the starting rotation after a rehab outing with Triple-A Scranton over the weekend.
He was then reassigned to Double-A Somerset, where he’ll make one more rehab appearance on Thursday. Rodón threw 48 pitches on Aug. 8 and is expected to get into the 60-pitch range in his next outing.
If that goes as planned, he could be lined up to start the following week against the Baltimore Orioles. That would create another roster decision for the Yankees, including whether Will Warren or Ryan Weathers ends up in the bullpen, or whether the club chooses a six-man rotation to help manage Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Cam Schlittler.
For now, though, the Yankees have real reason to feel better about where this is headed. The roster churn is coming, but so is the possibility of getting Stanton, Bellinger, Rodón and eventually Judge back in the mix.
In Other News...
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Michael Kay added his voice to that debate this week, saying he was disappointed by the thinner turnout and pointing to the changing cast of former Yankees as part of the issue. The event does not carry quite the same weight without the legendary figures who once defined it, and the continued absence of Derek Jeter from recent editions only adds another layer to the concern. For a fan base that still treats tradition seriously, the question is whether Old-Timers Day can stay special without the names that once made it feel unmissable. [Read more 🡒]
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One wrinkle is that the Yankees are also looking at his versatility, with Volpe beginning to play second base in Triple-A as part of that evaluation. His bat still remains the biggest part of the equation if he is going to force his way back into the major league roster conversation, but the path he once seemed to have at shortstop is no longer clear with the team shuffling pieces around him. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Bullpen Search Could Lead To A Risky Late Waiver Add
The Yankees left the trade deadline without adding a reliever, a notable choice for a club that has leaned on its bullpen even while the groups ERA has been strong. Now, with the market thinned out and the season moving into the stretch run, the search for depth could shift to the waiver wire, where teams sometimes find a useful arm if they are willing to take on some risk.
One name drawing attention is a right-hander who has had a rough run this season but still carries traits that teams tend to chase late in the year. His recent numbers have been shaky, yet the pitch data suggests there is still some bat-missing ability in there, which is the sort of profile that can tempt a contender looking for a low-cost fix. For the Yankees, the question is whether that upside is enough to justify a claim when the margin for error keeps shrinking. [Read more 🡒]