New York Yankees center fielder Harrison Bader was activated off the 10-day injured list on Tuesday afternoon, the team announced, after dealing with a right hamstring strain.
The 29-year-old had missed each of the Yankees’ last 16 games because of it, forcing the team to rely on the likes of Willie Calhoun, Jake Bauers, and Billy McKinney in a makeshift outfield that has also been without Aaron Judge since June 3 after he suffered a toe injury while crashing through the right-field fence at Dodger Stadium.
In 26 games this season, Bader is slashing .267/.295/.511 with six home runs and 19 RBI.
While Bader’s return provides a bit more stability in the outfield, the Yankees received another iota of good news regarding their starting rotation as southpaw Carlos Rodon begins a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset.
The 30-year-old has yet to make his team debut after signing a six-year, $162 million pact to join the Yankees over the winter as their marquee signing in hopes of building a dynamic duo alongside Gerrit Cole.
He’s been dealing with forearm and back issues over the last three months, which has added to his lengthy injury history that included arthroscopic shoulder surgery in 2017, Tommy John surgery in 2019 that limited him to just 42.1 innings of work over a two-year stretch, and shoulder fatigue with the Chicago White Sox in 2021.
Last season with the San Francisco Giants was his finest season yet, going 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA in a career-high 178 innings pitched.
