The cavalry is coming.
But it may not be a for another few weeks.
Yankees stars Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger “could be back sometime around Sept. 1,” reported Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
As for three-time MVP Aaron Judge, Heyman added, “iI’s conceded he’s somewhat behind the other two stars.”
The Yankees have gone 14-11 in their last 25 games and have managed to be eight games up in the Wild Card standings, three ahead of the Boston Red Sox, without their trio of injured stars.
They remain 6 1/2 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, seven in the loss column.
If they can get their star hitters back with about a month to go before the Wild Card Series begins Sept. 29, they could be a feared team come playoffs.
“Similar to the Dodgers...there is this feeling that the Yankees are the sleeping giant in the American League if those bats can wake up and then they can get those guys healthy because the pitching appears to be there, especially with [Carlos] Rodon coming back,” ESPN’s Karl Ravech said on air Wednesday night.
Stanton (calf) is now running the bases and could return soon as a part-time DH.
It’s unclear how he will look at the plate when he does return, but he’s capable of carrying the Yankees’ offense in a postseason series. He’s done it before.
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Bellinger, who was expected to miss 4-6 weeks, is rehabbing from a left hamstring strain that has sidelined him since July 26. He has been hitting and working in the outfield.
“He’s running really well. He’s probably at I think over 90% of his normal top speed and feeling good doing that,” manager Aaron Boone told reporters Tuesday.
As for Judge, he may not return from his rib injury until September and will not have swung a bat in several months at that point. No one knows what he will look like and how he will perform, and he remains the biggest X factor in the American League.
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