Aaron Boone hints at Giancarlo Stanton progress in ambiguous Yankees sign

Giancarlo Stanton is progressing and “doing quite well,” according to manager Aaron Boone, who hinted but did not state that Stanton has reached a significant stage of his rehab. Stanton, who jogged in the outfield Friday as he builds up following a pair of calf strains, has “started the introduction to some bases,” Boone said Saturday.  Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.Running the bases is often the final hurdle to clear before a rehab assignment (or simply an activation, if Stanton holds form and skips time in the minor leagues).

Stanton had been running the bases in June, when he was nearing a return from the original calf strain and suffered another. Asked to clarify whether Stanton had run the bases, Boone reiterated that he “introed it in a light way [Friday].” Boone has been consistently vague regarding developments concerning Stanton (and Aaron Judge) and did not want to shed further light on Stanton’s status. “He’ll be there when we get him there,” Boone said before the 5-4 win over the Braves in The Bronx. Stanton has been sidelined since April 24 for an injury that no one imagined would cost at least 3 ¹/₂ months. Asked if Stanton is closer to returning in a week or in a month, Boone said, “I don’t know.” “I’m not going to get in the predicting game of it,” Boone added of Stanton, who faced live pitching for the first time this week since suffering the second calf strain.“We expect him back, and I would say he’s doing quite well, but ‘at what percent [he is running],’ they’ll tell me when it’s time.” Gerrit Cole (seven innings, two runs on six hits with no walks and nine strikeouts) was excellent and consistently around the zone, 60 of his 82 pitches going for strikes.

For his uptick, he credited better fastball command. In the only inning that he struggled, he also showed resilience.To b...