New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger will be sidelined for four to six weeks due to a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, the team announced.
Bellinger was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday, one day after he sustained the injury while running the bases during a win against Philadelphia. Further tests in New York on Monday confirmed the extent of the injury.
"So the good thing is he’s obviously able to move around right now," manager Aaron Boone said. "So we’ll continue to do that and just allow this thing to heal and get him right."
The Yankees, currently trailing the AL East-leading Tampa Bay by three games, are dealing with a number of significant injuries. Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge has been out since May 31 with a fractured rib, and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton has been sidelined since April 24 with a strained right calf.
Max Schuemann started in left field for Monday's series opener against the Chicago White Sox. Spencer Jones was moved to center field, and Jasson Dominguez played right field. Jones was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when Bellinger was placed on the IL.
Bellinger, 31, felt tightness in his hamstring while rounding first base on a double in the eighth inning on Saturday. He is batting .259 with 11 home runs and 53 RBIs in 102 games this season. He re-signed with the Yankees in the offseason on a five-year, $162.5 million contract.
Boone indicated that Bellinger's injury is unlikely to significantly alter the team's strategy leading up to the MLB trade deadline. "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."
In other injury updates, Judge and Stanton are with the team in Chicago. Stanton is continuing his running progression, with Boone noting his strength training has been positive. Left-hander Carlos Rodon and right-hander Clarke Schmidt are expected to throw again this week as they recover from elbow inflammation and Tommy John surgery, respectively.