After being scratched from High-A Tampa’s starting lineup on Tuesday night due to “general fatigue,” Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury returned to the lineup on Wednesday night as part of his rehab assignment with the Yankees’ Class-A affiliate.
#Yankees OF Jacoby Ellsbury is finished after 5 innings in CF. 1-for-3 (L-5, 1B, L-5) in his 2nd rehab game w/ the High-A Tampa Yankees.
— Nick Flammia (@TYRadioGuy) July 2, 2015
Wednesday night was a huge step forward for Ellsbury, who was able to play five innings in centerfield for the Yankees’ Class-A affiliate. After an 0-3 game on Monday night serving as the designated hitter, the 31-year-old went 1-3 in his second rehab appearance.
Before Ellsbury was scratched from the lineup on Tuesday, the initial plan was to have Ellsbury play three days in a row, including at least one of those games in center field, to test his injured knee. After Ellsbury was scratched from the lineup Tuesday, it remains unclear as to what the plan for Ellsbury will be moving forward.
Manager Joe Girardi wasn’t too concerned that Ellsbury couldn’t play on Tuesday night, as the team still looks to have their center fielder back in the very near future. Although his rehab game schedule was altered, the Yankees still feel that a weekend return to the big league club is still an option.
Before suffering his injury, Ellsbury was playing at an All Star level, posting a slash line of .324/.412/.372 in 37 games. Once he returns, the Yankees can go back to using Ellsbury and Brett Gardner at the top of the order, a combination that worked very nicely early on in the season. With Gardner swinging a hot bat as of late, the return of Ellsbury could mean very good things are in store for the Yankees lineup.