Yankees' Cavalry Is Coming: Rodón Deals Again, Bellinger 'Close' and Judge Lurks

NEW YORK — The Yankees are heating up at the exact right time, and the reinforcements are almost here. Carlos Rodón is scheduled to make his second minor league rehab start Thursday night for Double-A Somerset, and the lefty is on the comeback trail after a frustrating stint on the shelf.

Rodón has been out since July 3 with left elbow inflammation, but he's inching closer to rejoining a rotation that's already stacked. In his first rehab outing for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he threw 29 of 48 pitches for strikes, allowing three runs and three hits over 2 2/3 innings against Rochester, with four strikeouts and two walks. Not dominant, but solid enough to keep the clock ticking.

Piggyback Plan? Boone's Got Ideas

Yankees skipper Aaron Boone has already hinted that Rodón could return in a piggyback role alongside another starter at first — the same way Max Fried eased back in after his bruised elbow on July 22. When Rodón's fully back, this rotation gets scary: Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Will Warren, Ryan Weathers, and a healthy Rodón? Good luck, AL.

Bellinger Is 'Close' — And He's Flying

Meanwhile, the injury-ravaged lineup is getting healthier by the day. Cody Bellinger, sidelined since July 26 with a left hamstring strain, is reportedly running at over 90% of his top speed and feeling good about it.

"He's running really well. He's probably at I think over 90% of his normal top speed and feeling good doing that," Boone said Tuesday before the Yankees' series opener against the Mariners. "I know he still feels a little bit of tightness getting into certain positions. So it's just getting through that last wave, which hopefully he works through this week as that intensity ramps up of doing these things every day. But I don't think he's too far off."

Bellinger is expected to be the first of the big bats to return.

Stanton and Judge: Watch Out

Giancarlo Stanton, out since April 25 with a right calf strain, was spotted running the bases at Yankee Stadium. Boone says he's stacking good days and getting closer. And Aaron Judge — the three-time AL MVP who's been out since May 31 with a broken right rib — was cleared last week for light workouts and insists he'll be back this season.

Boone's timeline: Bellinger first, then Stanton, then Judge. That's a terrifying trio to add to a team that already leads the AL wild-card race and sits six games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East.

"I think we still have a chance to be at our very best hopefully when it matters the most," Boone said.

Roster Moves: Castro Out, Hanner Up

In other news, the Yankees placed reliever Kervin Castro on the 15-day IL (retroactive to Monday) with right elbow neuritis, and called up right-hander Bradley Hanner from Triple-A. Castro had a 1.42 ERA in five outings for New York. Hanner, 27, was dominant at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: 6-2 with a 2.10 ERA and four saves in 40 relief appearances, striking out 61 over 51 1/3 innings while allowing just two homers. He's looking to make his MLB debut.

The Rodón Rebuild

This is the fourth season of Rodón's $162 million, six-year deal, and it's been a grind. He's 4-2 with a 3.30 ERA in nine starts this year after missing the first month recovering from offseason elbow surgery. He struggled early with command but was 4-0 with a 2.97 ERA over his last six outings before hitting the IL.

He had surgery on Oct. 15 to remove loose bodies and shave a bone spur, then hit a setback in late March with a tight hamstring. Last year he was 18-9 with a 3.09 ERA; since joining the Yankees, he's 41-28 with a 3.93 ERA in 88 starts.

The pieces are falling into place. The Yankees are getting healthy — and that's bad news for everyone else.