NEW YORK – For a Yankees club that has spent most of the summer absorbing one injury blow after another, Sunday delivered something that has been in short supply: encouraging developments.
Cody Bellinger returned to the lineup after a four-week absence, and the Yankees received what manager Aaron Boone described as “really good news” regarding Ryan Weathers, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left flexor strain.
“We’ll try to let this thing calm down here and hopefully get him back in some capacity before the end,” Boone said. “The early prognosis is that there’s a great chance of that.”
Weathers walked off the mound in the fourth inning of the Yankees’ 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays on Saturday, undergoing an MRI later that day. While Boone said Weathers will not throw for four to six weeks, both Weathers and the Yankees are optimistic he will pitch again this season.
“I had a similar injury at the end of Spring Training last year with the Marlins,” Weathers said. “[Saturday’s] scans were less than what it was last year. [The doctor] said that the elbow looked really healthy. It’s almost not a Grade 1 strain; it’s very low grade. It’s more just irritated than anything.”
Weathers has set career highs in strikeouts (143), innings pitched (137 1/3) and starts (25) this year, pitching to a 3.60 ERA. He said he began feeling discomfort in the fourth inning on Saturday, and he hadn’t experienced issues before that.
“I just knew something was off; something kind of didn’t feel right,” Weathers said. “I could have, for sure, kept pitching. No doubt. But it was like, ‘Is this stupid? Is this time to be a competitor or be smart?’ We’re kind of in a vulnerable part of the year where I want to pitch in September and hopefully pitch in the postseason.”
It is possible that, if Weathers returns this season, it would be as a reliever.
“Maybe,” Boone said. “First things first is getting to the point where he’s in a position to start throwing, and then hopefully we’re able to build him up smoothly. He’s obviously an outstanding pitcher, so he can help us in some way.”
Bellinger, who has been out since July 25 with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, played two Minor League rehab games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Max Schuemann was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.
“I’m very excited,” Bellinger said on Saturday, a day before going 1-for-4 with a run scored in the Yankees' 8-3 win over the Blue Jays. “I feel good. I’m ready to go.”
Bellinger went hitless in three at-bats for the RailRiders against Charlotte on Friday, playing six innings in left field. He went 1-for-3 with a single as the designated hitter for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.
“As the days went on, I was pretty much running at full speed,” Bellinger said. “I did defense, and more than you would probably do in a normal game. You just want to make sure you’re on your feet for a long period of time.”
This year's All-Star Game MVP, Bellinger is slashing .259/.350/.420 with 21 doubles, 11 home runs and 53 RBIs in 102 games this season.
“He’s a guy that helps us tremendously on both sides of the ball,” Boone said. “To get one of our core guys back is big.”
Bellinger’s return solidifies an outfield that projects to feature Trent Grisham in center field and a combination of Spencer Jones and Heliot Ramos in right – at least, until Aaron Judge is ready to return from his fractured right rib.
Jones, who has hit safely in seven of his past 10 games, started in right field against the Blue Jays on Sunday.
“It’s been a good year on balance for him as far as his development,” Boone said of Jones. “I feel like he’s made good adjustments and continues to get better at this level.”