PHOENIX — Aaron Judge is on the injured list again, but the Yankees could get two key pieces back off of it by next week.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. should be activated on the upcoming homestand that begins Tuesday, Aaron Boone said Friday, after the second baseman landed on the IL last week with a right thumb sprain.
Friday marked his fourth day of hitting in a row after being shut down from baseball activities for about a week, while he has also been throwing the last couple of days.
“He’s getting very close,” Boone said before the Yankees’ 9-2 win over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
Trent Grisham, meanwhile, is “pretty far into his running progression” from a right hamstring strain and “doing well,” Boone said, putting him in position to be in play at the end of the regular season.
Before Judge’s calf strain, it was questionable whether there would be a lane for Grisham to get playing time if and when he returned.
But now it is possible he could return to center field at least against righties, bumping Spencer Jones to right field.
As for Ryan Weathers, the other Yankee trying to make it back in time for the playoffs (from a left forearm flexor strain), Boone acknowledged the lefty is “unlikely to get into a game before the end of the season.”
Weathers is set to throw a second bullpen session on Saturday, after which he could advance to facing hitters in live batting practice.
Whether that will give him enough time to show he should be part of the bullpen for the first round of the playoffs remains to be seen.
“We’ll see what our needs are and how he looks and if we feel like he’s ready to come in and be a contributor,” Boone said.
Anthony Volpe, who was back at second base, hit .348 with a .965 OPS and four steals in his first seven games since being called back up from Triple-A as an injury replacement for Chisholm.
He was 0-for-4 in Friday night’s win.
