Yankees' Aroldis Chapman could throw bullpen session Monday
Aroldis Chapman of the Yankees walks on the field at Yankee Stadium last Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Aroldis Chapman could take the next step to rejoining the Yankees’ bullpen on Monday.
The closer, who has been out since testing positive for COVID-19 early in July summer training camp, could be on a mound before the Yankees face the Phillies at the Stadium.
“He might be throwing a bullpen tomorrow, so we’ll see. We’ll see where he’s at today,” manager Aaron Boone said.
DJ LeMahieu and Luis Cessa tested positive for the coronavirus before arriving at camp. Chapman is the only Yankee to test positive since camp opened. He had little in the way of symptoms and spent much of the time away from the team working out. To this point, he has played long toss and thrown on flat ground.
“He’s doing great,” Boone said. “Everything’s gone well. He’s thrown back-to-back days and the hope is that he’ll get on the mound tomorrow.”
Lighter Stanton swinging big bat
Giancarlo Stanton hopes less means more this season.
He was limited to 18 games last season by a spate of injuries — to his shoulder, knee, calf and quadriceps — and sought to avoid the same fate this season by shedding weight. Stanton, is listed at 245 pounds but said he lost about 20 pounds since last season.
“I had a lot of time to think over last year,” he said. “I just wanted to cover all my bases. I tried to figure out what was the best way for me to stay on the field. What’s the best way to for me to progress? I thought I’d give this a try to be closer to the weight of my younger years.”
Stanton is off to a good start, batting .348 with two homers and six RBIs entering Sunday’s game.
Cole vs. Arrieta
It will be a marquee pitching matchup on Monday when the Yankees begin a four-game home-and-home series against the Phillies. Gerrit Cole will make his third start for the Yankees and first at home. The Phillies, who have been idled because of coronavirus concerns and will take the field for the first time in a week, announced that former Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta will make his first start of the season.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
