Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton suffers setback, return in jeopardy - ESPN

NEW YORK — Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton recently suffered a «moderate grade» left calf strain while rehabbing from a right calf strain, putting his return this season in jeopardy, manager Aaron Boone announced Saturday.

Boone said Stanton, who has been on the injured list since April, was nearing a return before he sustained the injury when he fell running the bases this week.

«What that means moving forward, we're not ruling anything out,» Boone said. «He'll obviously continue to work to try and get it right and hopefully be available. Obviously, we're at a point in the calendar where it gets challenging, but you also never know.»

Cody Bellinger avoided any such setbacks in his recovery from a hamstring strain and will come off the injured list Sunday. Bellinger, who was placed on the injured list July 26, emerged healthy after playing in two games on rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He went hitless in three at-bats and tested the hamstring over six innings in left field Friday after going 1-for-3 as the designated hitter Thursday.

«That was good to get those in there to feel good,» Bellinger said.

Bellinger, along with Stanton and Aaron Judge, is one of three crucial position players the Yankees expected to bolster a struggling offense over the next few weeks. Judge, who has been out since May 31 with a stress fracture in a rib, recently started hitting off a tee on top of throwing, running and lifting.

«He seems to be in a good place,» Boone said. «For him now, it's just about getting the body built up. As much as the injury, it's also about the inactivity of getting the strength and the endurance of the reps and things like that. But he seems to be doing well.»

That was the case for Stanton,