For a Yankees team that has spent most of the season patching holes, the latest injury update brings a little bit of everything: a major star moving closer, a regular out with a hamstring issue, and a pair of pitchers offering hope down the stretch.
Aaron Judge is the headliner, as always. The three-time MVP hasn’t played since May 31, and New York’s offense has felt the absence.
But his rehab is trending in the right direction, and he’s now reached a key checkpoint by taking batting practice on the field for the first time since the injury. Judge’s aim is to get back during the Yankees’ homestand, which starts Tuesday, September 8 and runs through next Sunday.
If nothing interrupts the process, the lineup is about to look a lot more dangerous.
That matters even more because the offense has started to show some life lately, two-run outing against the Padres last night included. Judge’s return would change the shape of the whole attack.
There’s less clarity with Trent Grisham. He exited last night’s game before the bottom of the third after a shaky defensive sequence in center field.
In the second inning, he pulled up while trying to reach Xander Bogaerts’ blooper, and the play turned into a run-scoring single. After the inning, he spoke with a trainer and left the game.
Aaron Boone said after the game that Grisham was dealing with a hamstring issue, and that it appeared to be aggravated on a stolen base attempt in the top of the second. Boone also said the hamstring had not bothered Grisham since the center fielder missed 18 games from June 13 through July 2. The Yankees are sending him for imaging, and the early expectation is that this could be more than a minor problem.
On the pitching side, there’s better news. Ryan Weathers has been one of the Yankees’ nicest surprises in 2026, especially among the starters brought in over the offseason. He’s been the most productive of that group and has already set career highs in starts, with 25, and innings pitched, with 137 1/3.
That run hit a snag when Weathers went on the IL on August 23 with an elbow flexor strain, disrupting New York’s pitching plans. Still, after being fully shut down, he is scheduled to start throwing again either today or tomorrow. If everything goes smoothly, he’s aiming for a late September return.
Fernando Cruz remains in the picture, too, even with a partially torn UCL. He’s avoiding surgery for now and will try rest and rehab instead. The hope is that he’ll begin throwing over the next few days as well.
In Other News...
Yankees Suddenly Have A Center Field Problem They Couldn't Afford
Trent Grishams night ended early against the Padres after a right hamstring injury flared up while he was trying to steal second base, a jolt the Yankees could not have wanted in the middle of sorting out their center field situation. Aaron Boone said the issue was aggravated enough that Grisham was having trouble getting around in the outfield, which led to the defensive change and quickly turned a routine game note into something more concerning.
The Yankees are now waiting on MRI results to see how serious it is and whether Grisham will need an injured-list stint. For a club already trying to piece together enough steady production in center, the timing could not be worse, since any absence would force another adjustment in a part of the roster that has been hard to stabilize. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Weavers Sudden Pirates Struggles Had A Brutal Hidden Cause
Luke Weavers move from New York to Pittsburgh on Aug. 3 was supposed to give the Pirates a fresh arm for the stretch run, but the early returns were rough. His pitching dropped off soon after the trade, and the timing lined up with a severe poison ivy rash he picked up during a series in Miami, a problem that did more than make him uncomfortable.
Weaver was dealing with broken sleep and a body that clearly was not at full strength, even as he kept taking the ball for the Pirates. The club never sent him to the injured list, leaving him to work through the issue while trying to settle in with a new team, which only adds another layer to what looked at first like a simple post-trade slump. [Read more 🡒]
Cody Bellingers Name Was Used In A Disturbing Scam Fans Need To See
A fake social media account impersonating Cody Bellinger recently used the Yankees outfielders photos and identity to convince a young woman they were in a relationship, even going as far as creating AI-generated videos showing the two together. It is the latest example of how quickly online impostors can turn a familiar face into a convincing lie, especially when they have access to realistic images and artificial intelligence tools.
For Yankees fans, the unsettling part is not just that Bellingers name was used, but how ordinary these scams are becoming. The FBI says AI-enabled impersonation schemes have driven hundreds of millions of dollars in losses and surged by about 1,400% year over year, a reminder that this kind of fraud is no longer rare or crude. It has become polished enough to fool people, and in cases like this, personal enough to leave real damage behind. [Read more 🡒]