Yankees' Cody Bellinger nearing rehab assignment, return

Gary Phillips, New York Daily News on Aug 16, 2026

Published in Baseball

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TORONTO — Cody Bellinger could be back in the Yankees’ scuffling lineup soon.

Following the Yankees’ 4-3, 10-inning win over the Blue Jays, Aaron Boone said that the left fielder is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A toward the latter part of this week. The manager mentioned Thursday or Friday, but that’s not set in stone.

It’s possible Bellinger only plays in a couple rehab games before being activated by the Yankees.

Bellinger has been on the injured list since July 26 with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, but he spent the last few days doing numerous baseball activities on the turf at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. While he said Friday that he still feels some tightness in his hamstring, he’s been encouraged with his speed and ability to move around. The Yankees just want him to repeat the workouts he’s been doing a few more times before getting him into rehab games.

‘I’m feeling really good,” Bellinger said. “So I’m just kind of right on track of a normal strain.

“I’m advancing very well.”

Bellinger will be a welcomed addition to a lineup that has been among the worst in baseball since Aaron Judge last played on May 31. The back-to-back MVP, out with a fractured rib, began playing catch on Friday. He didn’t throw on Saturday, but Boone said he was expected to run and play catch again on Sunday.

While Judge still has several hurdles to clear, he and the Yankees have said that they expect him back this season. Boone said Saturday that a return timeline of one month is in play, but not set in stone.

The Yanks have also been without Giancarlo Stanton since April 24 thanks to multiple calf strains. He’s expected to return sometime between Bellinger and Judge, but Boone didn’t have any updates Sunday on when the designated hitter could potentially start a rehab assignment.

The latest on Schmidt

Boone said Sunday that the hope is that Clarke Schmidt will get back on the mound in the next couple days. He’s been throwing off flat ground since some forearm cramping cut his live batting practice session short on Aug. 4.

Boone also said Friday that Schmidt is preparing for a bullpen role “of some kind,” though that’s not entirely new after the right-hander previously said it would be “unrealistic” for him to build up to a starter’s workload by the end of the season.

“That can always change as the weeks and month unfold, just depending,” Boone said. “But that’s kind of how we’re looking at it.”

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