TORONTO — The end of Cody Bellinger’s stay on the injured list is beginning to come into sight.
Almost exactly three weeks removed from suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain, the Yankees outfielder went through a full pregame workout early Friday afternoon at Rogers Centre, doing defensive work in left field and running the bases close to full speed before later taking batting practice.
If he continues to respond well to the increased workload, Bellinger could “be in line for a rehab [assignment] sometime next week,” manager Aaron Boone said.
“I feel really good,” Bellinger said before the Yankees opened a series against the Blue Jays with a 3-1 loss. “Today was a really good day, so I’m advancing very well.”
Cody Bellinger of the New York Yankees doubles in the eighth inning during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. Getty Images
Bellinger indicated he is still experiencing some tightness in his left hamstring, but he has felt better every day while trying to push the envelope as much as his body allows. On Friday, that included testing the hamstring on the turf (which can often be unforgiving for players dealing with leg issues), and it “went way better than I expected.”
“I was doing a lot of defense with [outfield/third base coach Luis Rojas] — breaking in, breaking back, first step was good,” Bellinger said. “Bases went well. So defensively, it was my best day effort-wise.”
Once he is cleared for a rehab assignment, Bellinger might only need a few games before he returns to the Yankees lineup, given that he has not been out of action for too long.
Aaron Boone picked up his 50th career ejection Friday rather quietly, then took the field to get his money’s worth.
Boone claimed he simply told home plate umpire Vic Carapazza in the top of the sixth that a pitch to Luis García Jr. was low. When Carapazza asked what Boone said, the manager repeated himself and got the hook, at which point he went to meet Carapazza face to face and argue in more heated fashion.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) talks with the home plate umpire against the Toronto Blue Jays during the sixth inning at Rogers Centre on Aug. 14, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“Quick trigger,” said Boone, who leads the AL with four ejections this season. “That was the first time I said anything. Obviously, there were a lot of challenges early, rightfully so. I just said, ‘We can’t challenge everything.’ He asked what I said. I said, ‘I just said it was low.’ You saw how innocuous [it was].
“It’s a tired toss with a guy that was struggling early on in this game.”
Angel Chivilli, who had been a pleasant bullpen surprise up until a clunker in his last outing before being demoted to Triple-A earlier this month, may not be available to come back up any time soon.
The reliever landed on the injured list Friday at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with “some posterior elbow stuff going on,” Boone said.
Go beyond the box score with the Bombers
Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+.
Thank you
“So he’ll be seeing the doc here in the next day or two,” Boone said.
Chivilli only appeared in one game at Triple-A after he was optioned there last week.
Carlos Rodón (left elbow inflammation) “looked really good” in his second rehab start Thursday night, Boone said, though it sounds like he may need at least one more before he returns. The left-hander built up to 58 pitches across 4 ¹/₃ scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and one walk with Double-A Somerset.
“Talking to the pitching group, they’ve felt like he’s in the best physical place he’s been in all year the last couple weeks,” Boone said.
So why not bring him back up for his next outing?
Yankees Merch Shop
New York Post receives revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and when you make a purchase.
“It’s complicated,” Boone said. “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. There’s a lot of factors other than, ‘Bring him,’ which we might do. Obviously, he’s not fully built up yet. So we’re still talking through that the next couple days.”
Luis Gil (right shoulder inflammation) made a second rehab start Friday with High-A Hudson Valley — throwing 30 pitches across two scoreless innings — three days after his first outing when he threw 13 pitches in one inning. If Gil is going to help the Yankees at all the rest of the way, it is likely to come in a bullpen role.