Cody Bellingers return to Yankees lineup may come as soon as Sunday
If all goes well, Cody Bellinger would rejoin the Yankees lineup Sunday.The outfielder came through his first rehab game feeling fine according to manager Aaron Boone, after Bellinger served as designated hitter and went 1-for-3 Thursday.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.
In his follow-up, he played six innings of left field for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.If he encountered no issues, the plan was for Bellinger to take an off day Saturday and then be an option for the series finale against the Blue Jays in The Bronx.Presuming he is activated Sunday, Bellinger would have missed four weeks and one day, returning on the early side from a Grade II hamstring strain that had called for a 4-6 week absence.
A team that has been without Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton and now is without Ryan McMahon would welcome back a much-needed bat.There has been curiosity concerning whose roster spot Bellinger would take, with both the optionable Spencer Jones and the not-optionable Amed Rosario possibly in danger.But as McMahon hit the injured list Friday with a thumb sprain and Max Schuemann was recalled, Schuemann became the most likely roster-crunch victim.Boone hinted as much when asked if the club had considered bringing up Anthony Volpe rather than Schuemann to replace McMahon.
The manager said Volpe was “in the conversation” but cited Schuemann’s defensive flexibility and the impending return of Bellinger to explain the move.The club probably did not mind altering Schuemann’s routine for a couple days to summon him to the majors and might have minded bringing up Volpe — who is learning second base with SWB — for just a weekend.In the Yankees’ 3-1 win, Brent Headrick allowed a two-out triple to Brett Bateman but bounced back to strike out George Springer to escape the seventh, furthering a stretch in which he ...