The New York Yankees are set to begin a series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night in the Bronx.
While slugger Cody Bellinger won’t return for the series opener, he could rejoin the Yankees by the end of the weekend as he continues to ramp up his rehab from a hamstring injury he suffered last month.
He made his first rehab appearance on Thursday night down in Triple-A and finished with one hit across three at-bats. However, one of those outs was a 98.5 mph fly ball that reached the warning track.
Bellinger Provides Personal Update
After the game, Bellinger spoke to the media and broke down not only how he felt after getting back on the field.
“It felt good. It was good to get out and back in the batter’s box again off a pretty good arm over there,” Bellinger said. “So it felt good, you know, ran the bases once, so it was a good day.”
He’s feeling good 📈 @Yankees Cody Bellinger following Thursday night’s rehab appearance at PNC Field: pic.twitter.com/znLpHBbhtq
— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) August 21, 2026
Bellinger then spoke about his single during the game.
“It was the first time seeing a live pitch in a while, so I wanted to keep it simple. See the ball, hit the ball… overall I liked where I was at… we’ll see what the plan is, but hopefully get a few innings [in the outfield] [Friday].”
“Get a few ups and downs and see how it feels,” Bellinger added. “I liked where I was at… it’s hard being on the IL. You want to get out and play and help the boys win and hopefully I’m pretty close and I get up there, do what I can, and help the team win.”
Yankees Right Now
New York is coming off an impressive sweep over the Baltimore Orioles and sits at 72-55 overall entering the weekend. The Yankees trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 4.0 games in the AL East.
That said, New York’s offense has been very inconsistent, and getting a player like Bellinger back into the middle of the lineup would give the team a massive boost, especially down the stretch over the final month before the postseason.
Yankees’ Cody Bellinger Gives Personal Injury Update Before Blue Jays Series