TORONTO — The New York Yankees crossed another injury checkpoint Saturday with the roster looking thinner and the schedule offering no pause.
One outfielder went on the injured list. One cleanup-caliber designated hitter lost momentum in rehab. One frontline starter finally gave the Yankees a reason to breathe.
The Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 at Rogers Centre. But the win did not erase the medical report. Trent Grisham moved to the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Giancarlo Stanton’s expected return from a right calf strain slowed after a base-running setback. Max Fried, out with a left elbow bone bruise, received clearance to take a real mound step.
The updates landed while the Yankees already were playing without Aaron Judge, whose stress fracture of the first rib on his right side has reshaped the lineup. Austin Wells also remains on the injured list with cervical headaches.
Stanton’s timeline gets cloudy again
Stanton looked close to rejoining the Yankees before the weekend. He had faced live pitching at Yankee Stadium. He had used the Trajekt machine to simulate major league arms. Because he serves mainly as a designated hitter, the Yankees often let him build through controlled at-bats instead of a traditional minor league rehab assignment.
That plan no longer looks as clean.
Stanton felt something in his right calf while running the bases in recent days. Boone said the Yankees could seek more imaging to decide whether to slow the program further.
The setback matters because Boone had expected Stanton back for the homestand that starts against the Chicago White Sox. That no longer sounds safe.
“He felt a little something in there a day or two ago, so that’s kind of slowed him down,” Boone said. “I expected him back early in this homestand. That’s in jeopardy now.”
Stanton has not played since April 24. He entered the injured list stretch after 24 games, hitting .256 with three home runs, six doubles and 14 RBIs. His absence has grown more damaging because Judge is also out.
Without Stanton and Judge, the Yankees do not have either of their top right-handed power threats. That has pushed more pressure toward Paul Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario and the left-handed pieces around them.
Grisham’s injury changes the outfield board
The Yankees also lost one of their steadier outfield pieces at a bad time.
Grisham left Friday’s 8-5 loss to Toronto in the sixth inning after driving a two-run single to center. He hurt the hamstring after rounding first and advancing toward second as the throw went home.
The Yankees placed Grisham on the 10-day injured list Saturday and activated Jasson Domínguez from the IL.
Grisham did light work on the field before Saturday’s game, but the Yankees plan to get imaging when the club returns to New York on Monday. Boone did not frame the injury as season-shifting, but the club moved quickly.
“Hopefully it’s something that’s not a long-term thing, but we felt like the 10 days was probably necessary,” Boone said.
Grisham’s numbers do not fully capture the timing of the loss. He is hitting .232 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs in 66 games. He also carried a 14-game hitting streak and had hit safely in 16 of his past 19 games when the injury hit.
The Yankees used Cody Bellinger in left field, Spencer Jones in center and Domínguez in right Saturday. It marked Domínguez’s first major league start in right field.
Boone said the alignment could change over the next several days as the Yankees measure Domínguez’s comfort in right and Jones’ work in center.
Fried gives the rotation a needed sign
Max Fried’s update offered the only clear positive note in the latest injury wave.
The left-hander has been on the 15-day injured list since May 16, retroactive to May 14, because of a left elbow bone bruise. The diagnosis brought concern because elbow trouble always raises a deeper question for a pitcher.
The first key relief came when the issue did not point to a torn UCL. The next came after imaging showed enough healing for Fried to resume mound work.
Boone said Fried was set for a touch-and-feel bullpen session Saturday. MLB.com lists his expected return as possibly July, with the Yankees still needing him to clear more steps.
Fried has been throwing at 120 feet and is said to be asymptomatic. That does not place him near activation. It places him back on the path.
Before the injury, Fried had given the Yankees 10 starts and 61 2/3 innings. He owned a 3.21 ERA, a 2.71 FIP and 1.9 WAR, according to FanGraphs. He had allowed only one home run.
That profile explains why the Yankees can treat this as more than a routine rehab note. Gerrit Cole has returned. Cam Schlittler has helped stabilize the rotation. Will Warren has given the Yankees innings. Carlos Rodon is working back through his own stretch.
Boone acknowledged the reality. The Yankees have lost core names across the roster, but the manager pointed to the depth that now has to carry them.
“There’s no getting around it, we’ve lost some key people,” Boone said. “The one thing is, I feel we’re way more equipped to deal with it than we have in some years.”
For now, the Yankees have clarity on only one part of the story. Grisham is out. Stanton’s return window has slipped. Fried has started moving in the right direction.
The rest depends on imaging, rehab checkpoints and how much the Yankees can squeeze from a roster that keeps changing by the day.
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