The New York Yankees cannot wait for Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Judge to be back in the lineup entering the home stretch of the 2026 MLB campaign. Still, they might have to wait a bit longer. That became clear when Aaron Boone admitted Judge is behind Bellinger and Stanton in terms of a potential return.
However, Bellinger continues to prove the Yankees’ initial timeline wrong as he is well ahead of schedule. It seems Bellinger will be the first of the trio to return to MLB action. Meanwhile, Stanton may only be a step away from returning and has started running bases, albeit to a limited extent—which Bellinger hasn’t done yet. Regardless, manager Boone believes Bellinger remains ahead of the rest of the injured stars.
“[Bellinger hasn’t started base-running yet], but Bellinger feels closer [to returning], though,” Boone admitted during an appearance on Talkin’ Yanks podcast. “He’s doing agility. I would expect that intensity to be pretty good this week. I would think we would get him into a game or two before bringing him.”
NY Yankees are on a roll
Injury-riddled or not, with or without Judge, Bellinger, and Stanton, the Bronx Bombers are putting up a resistance and staying afloat in the AL East race. New York is still several games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the division lead and a spot in the American League Division Series, but the Yankees are still ahead of the Boston Red Sox in second place.
Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees sits in the dugout.
Moreover, the positive news come in bunches. Boone revealed important progress in Judge’s injury recovery, which only adds to the hype in the Bronx as the postseason draws closer, and the Pinstripers appear to be right on track.
NY Yankees’ lineup came to life
On top of it all, the starting rotation of Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, and Gerrit Cole is on a tear despite Carlos Rodon’s absence. Even Ryan Weathers is putting pressure on Boone to give him an even bigger role.
The offense has come alive after some rough outings, and Trent Grisham’s surge is a big reason, as is the immediate impact from rookie George Lombard Jr. Long story short, the Yankees are clicking, even without arguably their best hitters in Judge, Bellinger, and Stanton.
All that matters, however, is how the Bronx Bombers do in the postseason, and fans will have no fond memories of this 2026 campaign if it ends in the same old shaggy-dog story. The Yankees are well aware of that. And that’s another reason why Boone and company won’t rush any of his injured stars back onto the plate.
