Bellinger to miss 4-6 weeks with Grade 2 hamstring strain

CHICAGO -- The Yankees were dressing for their charter flight late on Sunday evening, and Aaron Judge was in a far corner of the visiting clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park, expressing optimism about how their internal depth could help weather a new injury challenge.

Spencer Jones and Jasson Domínguez would have opportunities to show what they could do at the big league level, Judge said, before adding: “You can’t replace a [Cody] Bellinger.”

The Yankees are going to have to try. An MRI taken in New York on Monday revealed a Grade 2 strain of Bellinger’s left hamstring. Bellinger is expected to miss four to six weeks, manager Aaron Boone said.

“We’ve had some tough injuries to some really important people,” Boone said. “That is part of it. The season waits for no one.”

Bellinger felt a grab in his left hamstring while running out an eighth-inning double in the Bombers’ 3-1 victory over the Phillies on Saturday. He was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday.

In his second season with the Yankees, Bellinger is slashing .259/.350/.420 with 21 doubles, 11 homers and 53 RBIs in 102 games. The All-Star has also been an elite defender, leading all Major League left fielders with 19 defensive runs saved.

Jones was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, and Boone has indicated the big-swinging 25-year-old will see “a lot” of playing time in left field while Bellinger is out, though that could mostly be against right-handed pitching.

Max Schuemann was in Monday’s lineup as the left fielder against White Sox left-hander Noah Shultz.

“We very much feel that we have guys that are capable of going out there and performing at a high level,” Boone said.

Before Bellinger’s injury, the Yankees were already known to be in the market for a right-handed bat, as well as catching and bullpen help. Their efforts could now intensify ahead of the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline.

Among outfielders thought to be available, published reports have linked the Yankees to the Angels’ Jo Adell and the Royals’ Lane Thomas. Other choices could include the Giants’ Heliot Ramos and the Orioles’ Taylor Ward.

“I get the sense that they have been working on this in different ways, shapes and forms for the last several weeks, getting ready for Trade Deadline stuff,” Boone said. “I expect them to try and do all they can to improve our team. But again, you never know how that’s going to shake out, and we’ll see.

“You’ve still got teams out there defining who they are and what they’re even going to do come a week from now. I think they’re eager to improve our club if they can, but all the things have got to line up, too.”

For the offense-starved Yanks, no Deadline acquisition would be as impactful as plugging Judge or Giancarlo Stanton back in the lineup. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be in the near future; while Judge and Stanton are both with the club on this trip, they are still limited in their activities behind the scenes.

Judge has not swung a bat since May 31, and there is no set date for him to have his fractured right rib re-imaged. Stanton is continuing what Boone has described as “a running progression” after he sustained a second strain to his right calf in June.

“The strength stuff, the explosive stuff he’s doing in the weight room has been very good,” Boone said of Stanton. “We’ve just got to get him up to a level on the running side of things to be able to go out there.”