Bellinger to begin rehab assignment Tuesday, could join Yanks next weekend

TORONTO -- As the Yankees await offensive reinforcements to arrive off the injured list, Cody Bellinger looks like the first big bat that will return to New York’s lineup.

Manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that the plan is for Bellinger to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday. The 2026 All-Star Game MVP could be back with the Yankees as soon as next weekend.

“He’ll probably play Tuesday, Thursday, and then potentially play for the weekend,” Boone said ahead of New York’s series finale against the Blue Jays from the visitors’ dugout at Rogers Centre.

Bellinger had been increasing his baseball routine this week in Toronto to prepare for a potential rehab stint as he works to return from a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring.

Bellinger last played for the Yankees on July 25 in Philadelphia, when he suffered the injury while legging out a double in the eighth inning against the Phillies.

The 31-year-old was placed on the 10-day injured list the next day and later had the strain revealed by an MRI.

Bellinger was slashing .259/.350/.420 with 11 home runs, 53 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 102 games before hitting the injured list. He has also been one of most productive defenders in baseball, leading all Major League left fielders with 19 defensive runs saved.

While the Yankees will be happy to have Bellinger back in all aspects of the game, they will be particularly thrilled to get his bat back in their order.

New York has spent a large portion of the season without star sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Bellinger’s absence only increased its need for an offensive spark from its depth hitters.

Since Bellinger suffered his hamstring strain, the Yankees are collectively batting .204 with a .635 OPS. In that timeframe, they’ve also scored only 63 runs -- the second-worst mark in baseball.

“Sometimes when guys go down, it creates opportunities for others, and guys get hot and roll with it,” Boone said pregame Sunday. “The bottom line is, looking at our club … I feel like we have a lot of capable offensive players. Guys that, in a lot of respects, haven’t had the year we and they expect to this point.

“But it doesn’t mean they’re not very capable moving forward, too, of getting hot and more in line with who they are on the back of the baseball card.”

While the Yankees remain convicted in their stance that better results are on the way for their current lineup, getting their trio of MVPs back will undoubtedly be welcome as October approaches.

Both Judge and Stanton are in different stages of their rehab processes, with Judge throwing Friday for the first time in his recovery from a fractured right rib and Stanton continuing to hit and run on the field.

Judge didn’t throw Saturday, but he will run and play catch again Sunday, Boone said. Meanwhile, there is no expectation for when Stanton might begin a rehab assignment of his own.