On a dark Saturday afternoon for the Yankees, who revealed Giancarlo Stanton had again strained a calf, there was a Cody Bellinger silver lining.
The left fielder said he will be activated Sunday after two rehab games, including playing six innings in the outfield for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday.
Bellinger said his hamstring was tested on a few plays and passed each.
“For me, come in, help the team win as much as I can and play my best ball,” Bellinger said before Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays in The Bronx.
After being sidelined for four weeks, Bellinger will return to a club that has been changed by the trade deadline and Spencer Jones’ emergence as a useful player. The Yankees have been playing Heliot Ramos — a righty hitter brought in to do damage against lefties — most days in left and the lefty-hitting Jones most days in right.
It is possible that the two become a right field platoon tandem until and if Aaron Judge returns, though manager Aaron Boone did not want to tip his hand regarding right field.
“Wait and see,” Boone said, and it is at least possible that Jones gets optioned to the minors if the club decides it prefers Max Schuemann’s versatility.
Judge’s rehab is going “well,” Boone said, and the team’s captain continues to hit. He graduated Friday to tee-and-toss and has not yet faced machine or live pitching.
There are no definitive updates regarding Judge, who has said he will return this season from his fractured rib.
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“He’s throwing, running, lifting,” Boone said. “He seems to be in a good place and moving. For him now, it’s about just getting the body built up.”
Max Fried threw a bullpen session for the first time since landing on the injured list Monday with a recurrence of his elbow bone bruise.
There was no immediate update from the Yankees regarding how the session went.
