Overview
- The Yankees reinstated Cody Bellinger from the injured list and put him back in the cleanup spot and left field, where he recorded a single and scored a run in his first game back.
- Bellinger missed 25 games after a Grade 2 left hamstring strain that the club originally projected would cost him about four to six weeks of action.
- To open a roster spot for his return, New York optioned utility player Max Schuemann to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
- The team went 14-11 during Bellinger’s absence and remains engaged in a tight AL East race, so his availability restores a key left-handed bat and defensive option for the stretch run.
- Bellinger carries a five-year, $162.5 million contract and arrives having been hot before the injury, making his health and power the two key things to watch as the Yankees push toward the postseason.