The Yankees outfield picture keeps getting scrambled. Bellinger felt his left hamstring tighten up legging out a double against the Phillies, stayed in the game, then told Aaron Boone afterward he'd have had no shot scoring from second on a base hit. That's the kind of admission that ends with a trip to the IL, and it did.
MLB Trade Rumors confirmed the corresponding IL move for Bellinger's left hamstring strain.
Jon Heyman had the domino effect lined up hours before it was official, reporting that Spencer Jones would get the call the moment Bellinger's hamstring turned out to be IL-worthy. Jones, New York's top position-player prospect, has already had a cameo in the majors this year and hit an absurd.274/.362/.571 with 35 home runs and 29 stolen bases across Double-A and Triple-A last season. The Yankees have been trying to find him a permanent home in this outfield picture for a while, and now the door's wide open again.
Jon Heyman flagged the Jones recall as contingent on Bellinger officially landing on the IL.
Spencer Jones will be recalled if Cody Bellinger has to go on the IL with the hamstring issue. Not definite yet.
By the afternoon it was locked in: Jones up, Bellinger down. That's a real gap in the middle of a Yankees lineup that's been leaning on Bellinger's power and defense all year, and it's not the kind of hole a rookie call-up alone fixes for a team trying to hold serve in a crowded AL East race.
Heyman's follow-up made the corresponding moves official.
Jones now officially up, Bellinger on IL
That's why the more interesting thread is what New York does next. Heyman reported the Yankees may still go shopping for a righty-hitting outfielder to pair with Jones and their existing lefty-heavy mix, and the name that keeps coming up — Luis Robert Jr. — is reportedly getting a hard look from a distance. Robert's talent has never been the question; his ability to stay on the field has. The Yankees, according to Heyman, are wary enough of his injury history that they're already circling alternatives like Lane Thomas, Spencer Steer, Jo Adell, Jorge Soler and George Springer.
Heyman laid out the Yankees' outfield shopping list and their reservations about Robert Jr.
Yankees may seek a righty hitting OF but seem leery about Luis Robert Jr. after his injury troubles. Some other possibilities (if available): Lane Thomas, Spencer Steer, Jo Adell, Jorge Soler, George Springer
None of that solves today's problem, though. Bellinger, who was hitting.259/.350/.420 with 21 doubles, 11 homers and 53 RBIs in 102 games before the injury, is now a 10-day-IL name on a roster that can't afford to bleed offense in a playoff race. Jones gets another shot to prove he belongs, and how he hits over the next couple of weeks could end up shaping whether the front office pulls the trigger on an outside outfield addition at all.