Cody Bellinger has been on the injured list with a hamstring strain and last played in a game on July 25.
The Yankees offense is scuffling, and it's not a surprise given that Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are all out right now. That's three huge bats to be missing in the middle of a pennant race. However, Bellinger seems close to returning.
"He’s running really well,” manager Aaron Boone said of Bellinger on Tuesday, per the New York Post's Mark W. Sanchez. “He’s probably at I think over 90 percent of his normal top speed and feeling good doing that. I know he still feels a little bit of tightness getting into certain positions, so it’s just getting through that last wave, which hopefully he works through this week as that intensity ramps up of doing these things every day. But I don’t think he’s too far off.”
Bellinger signed a five-year, $162.5 million deal with the Yankees after a stellar first season with the team. Last season, he slashed .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs. It was one of his best seasons since winning MVP in 2019. He was an All-Star this year, but his numbers were slightly down. Still, he had a .770 OPS.
Right before he went down, he was getting hot at the plate. He was hitting .400 with a 1.000 OPS in his last six games.
Bellinger has been hitting and taking batting practice, but he will need to feel good while running in order to return to the lineup. He will likely go on a rehab assignment as well.