The New York Yankees will begin a series against the Seattle Mariners in the Bronx on Tuesday night.
Ahead of the series opener, Yankees manager Aaron Boone appeared on his weekly episode of “Talkin’ Yanks” and provided a significant update on several injured players, including outfielder Cody Bellinger, who has been on the IL since July 26 with a hamstring injury.
Yankees Announce Bellinger Update
Boone revealed that Bellinger is getting closer to a return. As he continues to progress, the Yankees will likely have him play at least one or two games on a rehab assignment before bringing him back to the majors.
“[Bellinger’s] getting close,” Boone said. “Belli feels closer than [Stanton]… He’s doing agility… I would expect that intensity to be pretty good this week and I would think we’d probably get him into a game or two before bringing him [back up to the majors].”
Aaron Boone shares what’s most Impressive about George Lombard Jr.
4:00 Boone joins the show
4:45 Red Sox-Blue Jays play
11:05 Lombard Jr.
15:35 Wells
19:38 Bellinger, Stanton, Judge
24:20 Grisham
30:25 Ramos & Garcia Jr.
35:30 Jacob Wilson error streak pic.twitter.com/PZ3F3u0gRu— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 11, 2026
Bellinger’s 2026 Season
New York’s offense has significantly declined since Aaron Judge went down more than two months ago. Without Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees also lack three of their strongest and most productive bats from the everyday lineup.
Bellinger has appeared in 102 games this season and recorded 97 hits, 52 runs, 11 home runs and 53 RBIs across 374 at-bats. He’s batting .259 with a .420 on-base percentage and a .770 slugging percentage.
Yankees Right Now
New York currently owns the second-best record in the American League at 66-52, but the Yankees trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 6.0 games in the AL East. If they can’t close that gap over the final 44 games, they’ll enter the postseason as a Wild Card team.
If the season ended today, the Yankees would face the Boston Red Sox in a best-of-three Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium, creating a rematch of last year’s opening playoff series.
New York Yankees Announce Cody Bellinger Update Before Mariners Series