For nearly three months, the Yankees have been playing the waiting game with Aaron Judge. Finally, there’s some actual movement.
Judge continues to make progress from the stress fracture in his right rib, and the Captain is slowly checking off the boxes. He’s throwing, running, lifting and has begun working his way back into hitting, including taking swings off a tee. So far, importantly, there haven’t been any reported setbacks.
Now comes the part Yankee fans actually care about: Can Judge get back on the field before this season runs out of runway?
There’s still no official return date, and nobody should start circling days on the calendar just yet. But every swing, throw and workout gets No. 99 a little closer.
At this point, Yankee fans don't need another vague medical update. They need Aaron Judge walking back into that lineup.
Because if the Yankees are going anywhere this fall, having the Captain along for the ride would certainly help.
The Yankees called up the veteran reliever ahead of their series with Houston. Topa has looked decent in a handful of innings at Triple-A since joining the organization, so maybe the Yankees see something they like. But there’s one rather large number staring everybody in the face: 8.05. That was Topa’s ERA with Minnesota this season.
And somehow, that gets you a ticket to the Bronx.
This is what I don't understand about the Yankees and their obsession with numbers. They have analytics for everything. They can probably tell you a pitcher's spin rate on a Tuesday night with two outs and a runner on second. But figuring out who actually deserves an opportunity? That's apparently more complicated.
Some Yankees get chance after chance no matter how poorly they perform. Others can produce and seemingly never get a legitimate opportunity. Then somebody carrying an 8.05 ERA comes through the door and the Yankees say, Let's see what we've got.
Maybe Topa pitches lights-out. I hope he does. This isn't a knock on the guy for accepting an opportunity. It's about the Yankees.
For an organization that supposedly lives by the numbers, they sure have a strange way of deciding which numbers actually matter.
The Yankees have a real opportunity here. Cuban outfielder Raider Sanchez is 20 years old, has serious power potential and is now available on the international market.
Here’s the kicker: the Yankees reportedly have more international bonus money remaining than any other team. Translation: Brian Cashman has the biggest wallet at the table. For once, this shouldn’t require a complicated Yankee analytics meeting.
Prospects are never guarantees. Sanchez could become something special or disappear into the minors. Nobody knows. But what we do know is the Yankees take changes all the time. But when a team has money and a talented 20-year-old power hitter is sitting there, the decision seems pretty simple.
I say go get the kid. Sánchez batted .355 with 2 home runs in Cuba's Elite League at the start of the 2026 season before leaving Cuba as a much-touted prospect.
Then again, these are the Yankees. Simple decisions somehow become calculus.
Jon Heyman dropped an interesting nugget earlier this month. I didn't want to forget to tell you. Allegedly the Yankees are among the teams linked to Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato, the 27-year-old Hanshin Tigers third baseman expected to pursue MLB after the 2026 season.
Heyman's report appeared in the New York Post on August 13, with the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers and Phillies among the clubs connected to Sato.
Now, "linked" is doing a lot of work here. This isn't a signing. It isn't even necessarily serious negotiations. It's a loose rumor. But it's an interesting one.
Sato is one of Japan's premier power hitters, and here's where this gets even more intriguing.
Meanwhile Ryan McMahon landed on the 10-day IL August 21, retroactive to August 20, with a Grade 2 sprain of his left thumb after jamming it sliding into second base against Baltimore.
And remember: Heyman's Sato report came eight days earlier.
So no, the Yankees weren't suddenly linked to Sato because McMahon got hurt. They were apparently interested before the injury. Coincidence? Probably. But now that McMahon is hurt, that little August 13 rumor suddenly feels a bit more relevant.
Maybe Sato becomes another name swallowed up by the endless Yankee rumor machine. Or maybe this is one worth remembering. For now, it's just a link.
After getting embarrassed by Toronto pitching on Saturday, the Yankees came back Sunday and actually looked like a team with some attitude, beating the Blue Jays 8-3 and taking another important step forward.
Ben Rice continues to impress me. With the bases loaded in the sixth and the Yankees needing a big hit, Rice battled through a full count and ripped a two-run single to right. No panic. No trying to hit a six-run homer. Just a professional at-bat from a kid who keeps showing he belongs in the middle of this lineup.
And how about Jazz Chisholm Jr.? He helped manufacture the rally with a bunt single and then decided subtlety was overrated, launching a two-run homer an inning later. That's Jazz — energy, swagger and the ability to change a game in about five minutes.
Spencer Jones chipped in with an RBI double and a terrific diving catch, Trent Grisham reached base for the go-ahead run and later homered, and suddenly the Yankees had themselves an 8-3 win.
That's six wins in seven games, folks.
There are still things to clean up, but right now? I'm enjoying this. The Yankees are playing with some life, the kids are contributing, Jazz is bringing the juice and Ben Rice just keeps looking better.
I hate writing this because I actually like Giancarlo Stanton.
The guy has never bothered me. He works. He doesn't make excuses. He has delivered some monster moments for the Yankees, especially when the lights get brighter. And when he gets a hold of one, it's still one of the greatest sights in baseball.
Not because he's a bad player. Not because he's a bad teammate. And certainly not because I'm blaming the guy for getting hurt. I'm saying it because at some point your body gets a vote.
And Stanton's body has been voting NO for years. Since coming to the Yankees, we've seen injuries involving his biceps, shoulder, knee, quad, ankle, Achilles, hamstrings, elbows and enough calf problems to make you wonder if the Yankees should just bubble-wrap him between at-bats.
That's not being cruel. That's the history. In 2019, Stanton played just 18 regular-season games. Then came more calf trouble in 2020, along with a hamstring strain. The quad followed in 2021. Ankle and Achilles issues arrived in 2022. Another significant hamstring injury cost him nearly two months in 2023. Another hamstring strain cost him 28 games in 2024.
Last year? Both elbows. Stanton missed the first 70 games of 2025 dealing with tendon problems. And somehow, 2026 has topped all of it. Stanton hurt his right calf in April. He spent nearly four months trying to get back. He had already suffered a setback with that calf earlier in the process.
Then, finally, he reached what was essentially the last major hurdle before beginning a rehab assignment: running the bases.
And he fell. And strained the other calf. You can't make this stuff up. The Yankees announced yesterday that Stanton suffered a moderate strain of his left calf while working his way back from the right calf injury. Aaron Boone acknowledged that, this late in the calendar, getting Stanton back this season has become extremely challenging.
He has played 24 games this season. Twenty-four. That's where my opinion changed. This isn't about waiting for Stanton to get healthy anymore. We've been waiting for Stanton to get healthy for most of his Yankee career. It's about reliability.
The Yankees are supposed to be building a championship roster, and you simply cannot construct that roster while repeatedly reserving an important spot for a player you have absolutely no idea will be available.
That's not roster construction. That's roulette. And before somebody tells me Stanton can still hit — I know. That's what makes this sad. There is still serious power in that bat. There are still moments when Stanton looks like the most terrifying guy walking toward the batter's box. This isn't Willie Mays stumbling around with the Mets. Stanton can still punish a baseball.
The problem is getting him into the batter's box in the first place. He's 36 years old. He's under contract through 2027. And after this latest setback, the Yankees are once again discussing whether he'll even make it back onto a baseball field this season.
How many more times are we going to do this? Injury. IL. Rehab. Running. Setback. Aaron Boone update. More rehab. Hope. Another body part.
Stanton has had a hell of a career. MVP. Five-time All-Star. One of the premier power hitters of his generation. He has carried himself professionally in New York and given Yankee fans some unforgettable postseason moments.
That's how I'd rather remember him. Not as a 37-year-old trying to coax one more season out of legs that have been screaming at him for years. There is dignity in knowing when it's time. And for Giancarlo Stanton, I think we've reached it.
Retire, Big G. It's the right move as much as I don't want to see it happen. Retire.
Not because you can't hit anymore. Because the Yankees and us fans can't keep waiting to find out whether you'll be healthy enough to try.
Cody Bellinger didn't exactly tear up Triple-A pitching during his rehab assignment.
Good. He didn't need to.
Bellinger is expected back with the Yankees today after missing nearly a month with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. His rehab stop with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre was less about batting averages and more about making sure everything still worked.
On Friday, Bellinger went 0-for-3 against Charlotte, but played six innings in left field and, more importantly, actually had to use the hamstring. A couple of fly balls sent him moving around the outfield, he handled them without a problem and walked away healthy.
That's all I needed to see.
Rehab games aren't supposed to be auditions. Bellinger already has the job. They're about getting your legs underneath you, seeing some live pitching and making sure nothing pops, pulls or explodes.
Mission accomplished.
Now Bellinger returns to a Yankee team that needs every healthy, productive bat it can get for the stretch run.
Forget the 0-for-3.
The best number from his rehab assignment was zero setbacks.
Maybe it was because he felt like one of our guys. A 19th-round Yankees draft pick who wasn't supposed to become much of anything, Marinaccio simply kept pitching his way up the ladder until suddenly he was standing on the mound in the Bronx getting big-league hitters out.
And getting them out pretty damn well, too.
As a rookie in 2022, Marinaccio posted a 2.05 ERA in 40 appearances, striking out 56 in 44 innings. Opponents hit just .149 against him. For a while there, the kid from Toms River looked like another bullpen steal the Yankees had dug out of nowhere.
But baseball careers rarely travel in straight lines. Since leaving New York, Marinaccio's journey has looked more like somebody dropped the GPS in a blender. San Diego. Pittsburgh. Cincinnati. Waivers. DFA. Another opportunity. Another DFA.
And now, Minnesota. The Twins signed Marinaccio to a minor-league deal after he elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment from Cincinnati. His 2026 numbers aren't pretty — a 6.09 ERA overall — but his career ERA still sits at 3.98 over 183 major-league innings.
So maybe there's still something there.
That's what resilience looks like in baseball. It's not always some dramatic Hollywood comeback. Sometimes it's getting punched in the mouth, packing another suitcase and saying, OK, who's got a baseball? I loved Marinaccio when he was a Yankee, and I'm rooting for him now.
He's still got another inning in him. Go get 'em, Ron.
I have to admit, this has gotten a little out of control. In a good way.
If you've looked at the Bleeding Yankee Blue Store lately, you probably noticed something: this isn't just a handful of BYB shirts anymore. The store has exploded with new designs, new collections and some wonderfully strange ideas—and that's exactly where I wanted it to go.
Look at what we're doing now.
CLICK TO SHOP
We've got the traditional Bleeding Yankee Blue gear—the classic shirts, tanks, hoodies and game-day stuff that represents this blog and the Yankee fans who have supported us since 2010.
But then things get interesting.
We've got our Mafia Collection, mixing Italian-American attitude, humor and old-school imagery into shirts you aren't going to see hanging next to the generic baseball tees at the mall.
CLICK TO SHOP
We've expanded our holiday selection. We are working on Christmas, Thanksgiving, even Easter designs! We got St. Patrick's Day BYB gear, patriotic designs, women's styles, rugged baseball shirts and plenty of classic Bleeding Yankee Blue looks.
And then there are the designs I probably enjoy the most—the weird, obscure baseball stuff.
Bernie. The Boss. Old baseball references. Inside jokes. Designs that might make a baseball fan stop, look at your shirt and need three seconds before saying:
"Oh my God. I get it."
THAT'S what I want.
There is enough generic sports merchandise in the world.
I want Bleeding Yankee Blue merchandise to have some personality. Sports mixed with humor. Baseball mixed with nostalgia. Yankee culture mixed with things we grew up with, things we remember and things that simply make us laugh.
Some of these designs are going to be very different from anything you're used to seeing in sports merchandise.
Good. Bleeding Yankee Blue has been different since 2010. We started as an independent, grassroots Yankee blog built around one simple thing: being fans. No corporate voice. No pretending everything is wonderful when it isn't. We celebrate the Yankees when they deserve it, blast them when they deserve that too, and we've always tried to have some fun along the way. The store is becoming a physical extension of that personality.
It's hosted through Dashery, powered by TeePublic, which gives independent creators like BYB a standalone shop while they handle manufacturing, shipping and customer support. That allows me to concentrate on what I enjoy most:
Coming up with the next idea. And believe me, some of them are pretty damn obscure. But the best part of all this remains the people who have been here all along.
You.
The Bleeding Yankee Blue audience has been incredibly loyal for nearly 16 years. You've read the blog, shared our stories, argued with me, laughed with me, celebrated wins and suffered through some absolutely ridiculous Yankee baseball. Now I'm seeing people wearing BYB.
That's pretty cool. So no, Bleeding Yankee Blue isn't "just getting started." We've been here since 2010. The difference is that now the store finally looks like us. Yankees. Baseball. Humor. Nostalgia. Italian attitude. Patriotism. Obscure references. And absolutely no interest in being ordinary.
The Yankees are banking on pitching to carry them deep into October. Well, today gave us another reason to start sweating.
Ryan Weathers left the Yankees’ 4-3 loss to Toronto with left forearm discomfort and is headed for imaging. Those are three words nobody wants to hear about a pitcher in late August.
Weathers wasn't particularly sharp before leaving—72 pitches for just 10 outs—but that's almost irrelevant now. The bigger issue is whether the Yankees just lost an important piece of their rotation at the absolute worst possible time.
And there’s reason for concern. Weathers has dealt with forearm and lat problems before, making only eight starts last season, and he also missed significant time with a finger injury in 2024. Now, after pushing past his previous career high in innings, the forearm starts barking.
Wonderful.
The Yankees need healthy arms for September and October, not another mystery injury followed by an MRI and crossed fingers.
Hopefully this is nothing.
Because if it isn't, the Yankees' postseason pitching plan just got a whole lot thinner.
At some point, somebody needs to explain what the hell happened to Giancarlo Stanton.
Stanton has been out since April 24 with a right calf strain. Then he suffered another setback in that same calf in June. Now, while finally working his way toward a return, Stanton fell while running the bases and strained his left calf. Aaron Boone called it a moderate strain, and with the calendar sitting in late August, his season is suddenly in serious jeopardy.
Unbelievable.
And yes, Stanton has an extensive injury history. Nobody is pretending otherwise. But I have questions for the Yankees, too.
What exactly is happening with this organization's training, rehabilitation and recovery operation?
This isn't some guy who rushed back after two weeks. Stanton has spent nearly four months rehabbing. The entire purpose of that process is to carefully rebuild the body so the player can eventually handle baseball activities again. Yet here we are: Stanton was rehabbing one calf and somehow injured the other one running the bases.
How?
Maybe this is simply terrible luck. Maybe Stanton's 36-year-old body just isn't cooperating anymore. But the Yankees have had enough injury and rehabilitation headaches over the years that their process deserves scrutiny.
Because Stanton played just 24 games this season, and now there's a legitimate possibility we won't see him again in 2026.
That's not just disappointing. It's ridiculous.
Somebody inside that organization needs to start asking harder questions about why getting important players healthy — and keeping them healthy — continues to feel like such an adventure.
The Yankees are digging through the pitching bargain bin again.
New York has signed right-hander Eli Morgan to a minor-league deal, adding another arm to the organization and, presumably, another project for the pitching department.
Morgan, 30, hasn't exactly lit up the radar gun—or the stat sheet—this season. He posted a 5.12 ERA with 16 strikeouts over 19⅓ innings with Kansas City before eventually hitting free agency.
So why bother?
Because this is what the Yankees do. They see an arm, find something they think they can tweak and toss it into the Matt Blake laboratory. And Morgan isn't completely without a résumé. He posted a 1.93 ERA over 42 innings for Cleveland in 2024, so there's at least evidence that the guy can pitch when everything is clicking.
It's a minor-league deal. There's virtually no risk here. Maybe Morgan rediscovers something and helps the Yankees down the stretch. Maybe he's simply organizational depth and we never see him in the Bronx.
Either way, Cashman bought another lottery ticket.
