PHILADELPHIA (AP) — All-Star outfielder Cody Bellinger was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a left hamstring strain, a significant blow to a New York Yankees team already missing two big bats.
The Yankees recalled outfielder Spencer Jones from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before Sunday night's game at Philadelphia to take Bellinger's spot on the roster.
Bellinger will have more tests Monday in New York. He said he woke up feeling similar
to Saturday, but not well enough to avoid the injured list.
“Little tight,” Bellinger said. “I didn't wake up worse.”
He will stay out of cleats for at least four days and continue to do light jogging during that time, but there is no timeline for a return at this point.
“See how you feel, see how your body is recovering,” Bellinger said.
New York manager Aaron Boone sounded fairly optimistic about the injury.
“It's not something that seems terrible,” he said. “He's able to move around today. Just hope for something on the shorter side, but tough to know for sure.”
New York has been without slugger Aaron Judge since May 31 because of a fractured rib, and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is still out with a strained right calf that's sidelined him since April 24. The Yankees entered Sunday's game 2 1/2 games behind first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Bellinger said he felt tightness in his hamstring while rounding first on a double in the eighth inning of the Yankees' 3-1 win over the Phillies on Saturday night. He waved off Boone and remained on base for the rest of the inning but walked slowly off the field and down the tunnel to the clubhouse after the third out.
Max Schuemann replaced Bellinger in left field in the bottom of the eighth.
Schuemann was set to start in left and bat seventh Sunday night.
“Just got to mix and match and piece it together,” Boone said. “We have capable guys. We're going out there expecting to win.”
Bellinger is hitting .259 with 11 homers and 53 RBIs in 102 games this season. He entered Saturday with 19 defensive runs saved, most in the majors, and was MVP of the All-Star Game on July 14 in Philadelphia.
Bellinger re-signed with the Yankees last winter for $162.5 million over five years and has been a key part of the offense. He was hitting .280 through mid-June before a slump dropped his batting average to .254 heading into the All-Star break. He hasn’t homered in a month.
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