BRONX — Josh Donaldson will begin a rehab assignment on Thursday and Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton may not be too far behind him.
The American League ballclub announced that Donaldson would start a rehab assignment in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday with the possibility of him rejoining the team next week in Seattle. Stanton could begin a rehab stint of his own by the weekend depending on how imaging goes later this week.
Both players have been out since April and were part of a cluster of injuries that struck the Yankees to begin the year. Donaldson hasn’t played since April 5 due to a right hamstring strain, and had his first rehab cut short while in Double-A Somersett, and Stanton has been out since April 15 because of a left hamstring strain.
The plan for Donaldson is for him to play the field on Thursday and Sunday and be the designated hitter on Saturday. The Yankees will then re-evaluate where things stand with the infielder.
“We’ll kind of evaluate at the end of the Sunday assuming we get there and everything’s going well. Whether we want to have him get another one or two or not. We’ll just kind of see where we’re at,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Stanton’s imaging will dictate what the club’s next move is for him.
“We’ll see where the progresses are,” Boone said. “If it matches up with how he’s doing. that it’s something that could be in play more imminent.”
Stanton told the New York Daily News that he was going “one step at a time” and that once his imaging was clear “it’s go time.” Boone said that the plan remained the same once Stanton returned for him to see some time in the outfield.
The Yankees are at the beginning of a seven-game home stand that sees Baltimore and San Diago come through the Bronx.
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