For the second time in four days, Giancarlo Stanton was on the field at Yankee Stadium early Saturday afternoon, taking live batting practice against Angel Chivilli.
The Yankees hope it is not too much longer before Stanton is in the batter’s box for real games, and not just simulated ones, though he still has more boxes to check in the coming week or two before that can happen.
After taking four at-bats against the rehabbing Chivilli, Stanton did some running on the field — in a straight line in the outfield and then starting halfway up the first base line and taking a turn around first base as he works back from a right calf strain.
“Hopefully sooner rather than later,” manager Aaron Boone said of Stanton’s potential return Saturday. “But he’s continuing to build up the running portion.”
Boone has already said that Stanton will not join the Yankees on their upcoming road trip that starts Monday in Cleveland and ends next Sunday in Toronto, with the veteran DH expected to stay in New York to continue his running progression.
It is possible Stanton will not need to go on a rehab assignment before rejoining the Yankees, because he is not playing the field, but he is not close enough for the team to have to make a decision on that yet.
Camilo Doval offered the Yankees a reminder of his tantalizing potential Friday night, retiring the side in the ninth inning on nine pitches (eight strikes), with two strikeouts.
That lowered Doval’s ERA to 5.79 through 27 games, though his underlying metrics have been more promising, offering some hope that he can straighten things out to strengthen the bullpen more consistently.
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“That’s what’s been tough, because we’ve seen a lot of that, even in some of the outings where he’s given it up,” Boone said. “It’s just about being consistent, because there is a lot of really good happening there with Camilo — the way he’s thrown the ball, the strike throwing that’s as good as he’s maybe ever been. It is very close to being in line with what we saw [Friday] night. That’s what he’s capable of. He’s working hard at it and we’re continuing to work hard around him to try to get him to be that. Because when he’s like that, he can be an impactful back-end guy.”
After going 0-for-4 with a strikeout in his first rehab game Friday night as the DH at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Jasson Domínguez is expected to play the outfield in his second rehab game Sunday.
He will likely need a few more games next week before he returns from a mild AC joint sprain in his left shoulder.
