CHICAGO — New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger is facing a four-to-six-week absence after tests confirmed he has a Grade 2 left hamstring strain.
Bellinger was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday, one day after he hurt himself on the basepaths during a 3-1 victory over Philadelphia. Follow-up testing performed Monday in New York determined the full severity of the injury.
“So the good thing is he’s obviously able to move around right now,” manager Aaron Boone said before the start of a four-game series against the Chicago White Sox. “So we’ll continue to do that and just allow this thing to heal and get him right.”
Bellinger’s absence makes a difficult situation even harder for New York, which has been playing without reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge since May 31 due to a fractured rib. Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton has also been out since April 24, recovering from a strained right calf.
Heading into Monday’s games, the Yankees sat three games behind AL East-leading Tampa Bay.
“We’ve had some tough injuries to some really important people,” Boone said. “But again, that is part of it. As I say, the season waits for no one.”
With Bellinger out, Max Schuemann started in left field for the series opener against Chicago. Spencer Jones, called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when Bellinger was placed on the injured list, started in center field, while Jasson Domínguez handled right field.
The MLB trade deadline is approaching next week, though Boone played down the idea that Bellinger’s injury would dramatically shift the approach of general manager Brian Cashman and the front office.
“I get the sense that they have been working on this in different ways, shape and form 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.”
The 31-year-old Bellinger felt tightness in his hamstring while stretching into a double and rounding first base in the eighth inning Saturday night. On the season, he is hitting .259 with 11 home runs and 53 RBIs across 102 games.
Bellinger returned to the Yankees last offseason after agreeing to a five-year, $162.5 million contract. He was named MVP of the All-Star Game on July 14 in Philadelphia.
Both Judge and Stanton traveled with the team to Chicago. Boone noted that Stanton has been progressing well in his running workouts.
“The strength stuff, explosive stuff he’s doing in the weight room has been very good,” Boone said. “So we just got to get him up to a level obviously on the running side of things to be able to go out there.”
Left-hander Carlos Rodón and right-hander Clarke Schmidt are each expected to throw again this week, according to Boone. Rodón has been dealing with elbow inflammation, while Schmidt is continuing his recovery from Tommy John surgery performed a year ago.
