NEW YORK — The Yankees entered Monday with three injury situations moving on different tracks, and Cody Bellinger is now clearly the closest to rejoining the active roster.
Bellinger could begin a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday or Friday if his workouts continue to go well. Giancarlo Stanton is still progressing through a running program in New York but does not yet have a rehab date. Clarke Schmidt remains in his return from Tommy John surgery, with the Yankees still weighing how quickly he can build back into game action.
For a club that has spent much of the summer without several middle-of-the-order bats, Bellinger and Stanton represent the more immediate offensive reinforcements. Schmidt is on a longer pitching track, but his status still matters as the Yankees determine how much help they could have internally for the final stretch.
Boone corrects himself on Bellinger’s rehab timetable
The most concrete update came on Bellinger.
Manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that the outfielder could begin a rehab assignment Thursday or Friday. Boone had initially indicated that Bellinger might start Tuesday, then corrected himself after the Yankees’ 4-3 win over the Blue Jays in Toronto.
The correction raised an obvious concern because Bellinger is working back from a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. Boone quickly made clear that the later date did not reflect a setback.
“Nothing happened,” Boone said.
Boone said he had simply jumped the gun when he first mentioned Tuesday.
That distinction is important because Bellinger is approaching the front edge of the Yankees’ original four-to-six-week recovery estimate. He injured the hamstring July 25 and was placed on the injured list the following day.
Bellinger went through full workouts during the Toronto series. Those sessions included defensive work, running the bases and batting practice. He said Friday that he “felt really good” after testing the hamstring on the Rogers Centre turf.
If Bellinger begins the assignment late this week, the Yankees do not expect him to need many games before activation. He has continued to hit and perform baseball work while sidelined, which should shorten the process compared with a player returning from a longer shutdown.
Bellinger was hitting .259 with 11 home runs, 53 RBIs and a .770 OPS in 102 games before the injury. His return would give Boone another established left-handed bat near the top of a lineup that has struggled to produce consistently.
Stanton keeps running, but Yankees still lack a rehab date
Stanton is also moving forward, though his timeline remains less specific.
Boone said Sunday that Stanton continued his running progression in New York while the Yankees were in Toronto. The manager did not provide a date for when the designated hitter might begin a minor league rehab assignment.
Stanton has not played since April 24 after suffering a right calf strain. His recovery has included a setback, which has made the Yankees more cautious about pushing the final stages.
The recent progress has been more encouraging. Stanton has resumed baseball-specific running and has already begun introducing work around the bases. Earlier this month, Boone said the Yankees expected Stanton back when the timing was right, but the club has avoided setting a hard deadline.
That makes Stanton’s situation different from Bellinger’s. Bellinger now has a likely window for rehab games. Stanton is still trying to reach the point where the Yankees are comfortable sending him into game action.
Before the injury, Stanton hit .256 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 24 games. His return would restore another right-handed power threat to the middle of the lineup, but the Yankees appear determined not to let the need for offense dictate the medical timetable.
Schmidt remains on a longer path after forearm cramping
Schmidt’s rehab remains the least immediate of the three situations.
The right-hander has been recovering from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace performed in July 2025. He reached the live-hitter stage in July and continued building into multiple batting-practice sessions before experiencing right forearm cramping during an Aug. 4 live session.
The Yankees’ latest official injury update said Schmidt had resumed playing catch after that episode and was expected to return to mound work. Unlike Bellinger and Stanton, Boone did not announce a fresh Schmidt timetable Sunday.
The forearm cramping interrupted what had otherwise been a steady progression. Schmidt had previously said the rehab felt more seamless than his first Tommy John recovery, and he reached 95 mph during his first live batting-practice session in July.
The Yankees have also left open the question of his role. Schmidt has worked primarily as a starter in recent seasons, but a bullpen assignment could require less buildup and give the Yankees a quicker path to using him in the majors.
That possibility has existed throughout his rehab. Schmidt made 26 relief appearances for the Yankees in 2022 and posted a 2.74 ERA across 46 innings that season.
For now, the three injury tracks remain clearly separated. Bellinger is close to game action and could begin rehab games by the end of the week. Stanton is running but still waiting for a rehab assignment. Schmidt is progressing through a more cautious throwing program after the forearm cramping.
The Yankees return to action Tuesday in Baltimore. Bellinger’s next few workouts should determine whether Thursday or Friday becomes the start of his final step back to the roster, while Stanton and Schmidt continue to work toward their own return dates.
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