TORONTO — The Yankees placed right-hander Angel Chivilli on the seven-day injured list at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Manager Aaron Boone said the reliever is dealing with a problem in the back of his elbow.
“He has some posterior elbow stuff going on,” Boone said.
Chivilli will see a doctor this weekend. It is the second injured list stint of the season for the 23-year-old, who dealt with a shoulder issue earlier in the year. He posted a 3.78 ERA over 15 big league appearances before being optioned after the trade deadline.
The timing stings. The Yankees did not add a single reliever before the deadline, and their bullpen has leaned on unproven names. Losing even a depth arm at Triple-A narrows the margin further.
To backfill, the Yankees signed veteran right-hander Justin Topa to a minor league deal and assigned him to Scranton. The Binghamton, New York, native carried an 8.05 ERA over 19 innings with the Twins this season, but he generates ground balls at a strong 57.4 percent clip, a trait the Yankees prize in relievers.
Bellinger nears a rehab assignment
Cody Bellinger out since late July with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, went through a full pregame workout at Rogers Centre. Boone said Bellinger is in line to begin a rehab assignment sometime next week if the progress holds.
Bellinger described a day that exceeded his own expectations, running near full speed on the turf and handling defensive drills with outfield coach Luis Rojas.
“I’m feeling really good,” Bellinger said. “So I’m just kind of right on track of a normal strain. Today was a really good day, so I’m advancing very well.”
He was candid that the hamstring is not all the way there. The tightness lingers, even as the function improves. That is where clean optimism turns cautious.
“It went way better than I expected,” Bellinger said of the turf workout. “I was doing a lot of defense with [outfield coach Luis Rojas] and breaking in, breaking back. First step was good. Bases went well, so defensively, it was my best day, just effort-wise.”
Bellinger was hitting .259 with a .770 OPS, 11 home runs, 53 RBIs and 10 stolen bases before the injury. He also took batting practice on the field Friday. He is unsure how many rehab games he will need, but he wants to be back before the calendar turns.
“I think that that would be very positive if I could do that,” Bellinger said when asked about returning before the end of August.
Judge takes a step, Rodon stays in limbo
Aaron Judge added a smaller but meaningful marker. The captain, sidelined since late spring with a fractured rib, played catch on Friday and felt good, an early sign in a recovery that has moved slowly.
The Yankees expect their injured trio to return in a specific order. Bellinger is the closest, followed by Giancarlo Stanton, who is working back from calf trouble, and then Judge. That sequence is finally coming into focus.
The rotation offered a murkier picture. Carlos Rodon looked sharp in his second rehab outing Thursday, walking one and striking out seven over 4 1/3 scoreless innings on 58 pitches at Double-A. Even so, Boone would not commit to activating him.
“He could do one more,” Boone said of a possible additional rehab start. “We haven’t made that decision yet.”
Boone explained that the choice involves more than how Rodon threw, pointing to the schedule and his build-up as open questions.
“It’s not something I want to go into here necessarily, but just trying to look at the schedule and how it lays out and what makes the most sense,” Boone said. “Obviously, he’s not fully built up yet, so we’re still kind of talking through that.”
A roster crunch is coming
The returns create a welcome problem. Rosters expand from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1, which softens the squeeze, but not entirely. Bellinger’s activation could push rookie Spencer Jones back to Triple-A, though Jones has hit well enough lately to complicate that call.
Stanton would fit into one of the extra September spots. If the Yankees stay healthy until Judge returns, utility man Amed Rosario could become the odd man out. Each return reshapes the lineup and the bench.
The pitching math is just as delicate. The Yankees plan to use a piggyback starter behind Rodon when he first returns, someone who can cover length from the bullpen. Pitching coach Matt Blake has pointed to Ryan Weathers and Will Warren as the logical options, with one of them possibly sliding into a bullpen role once Rodon is stretched out.
For now, the Yankees keep surviving on their arms while waiting on their bats. Bellinger could be in a minor league game within days. Judge is throwing again. And the bullpen, already thin, is one arm lighter as the Yankees try to hold their playoff position.
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