Harrison Bader to Begin Rehab Assignment, One Final Step Closer to Yankees Debut

Bader will suit up for the Double-A Somerset Patriots on Sunday, inching closer to his long-awaited Yankees debut.

Harrison Bader will take the field in a game within the Yankees organization for the first time on Sunday. 

The outfielder, working back from plantar fasciitis in his right foot, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset, according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone. 

Three other injured Yankees—Aroldis Chapman (infection from tattoo), Miguel Castro (shoulder strain) and Zack Britton (Tommy John)—will join him on the Patriots as well, Boone told reporters before Saturday's game at Yankee Stadium.

For Bader, this will be his first in-game appearance since July 22, when he attempted to embark on a rehab assignment with the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate in Memphis. He was originally placed on the injured list on June 27 and hasn't played in a big-league game since then.

That, of course, was before Bader was dealt from St. Louis to New York in exchange for left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who has been dominant with the Cardinals since the trade deadline. Once acquired by his hometown team, the Bronxville native was transferred to the 60-day injured list, slowly ramping up in his baseball activities with hopes to contribute to a pennant push in September.

Over the last several days, during New York's first homestand in September, Bader has been going through full pregame workouts with his teammates. He's been hitting in the cage, shagging fly balls during batting practice in center field and on Friday, he ran the bases at what appeared to be full speed. 

Harrison Bader taking some pregame BP at Yankee Stadium ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/nKJeQLOOvY

— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) September 7, 2022

On Friday, Boone said that Bader will need about a week's worth of games during his rehab assignment. One week from Sunday, New York will be wrapping up a five-game road trip in Milwaukee against the Brewers. If all goes according to plan, perhaps Bader will be available to make his Yankees debut on that following Tuesday when New York returns to Yankee Stadium, facing the Pirates. That would give him a scheduled day off on Monday as well for a quick day of rest before his first opportunity in pinstripes. 

No pressure, but New York needs Bader in the outfield and they need him to play well. With Andrew Benintendi's wrist surgery and Aaron Hicks' seemingly irreparable spiral (featuring a dropped fly ball on Friday night that led to him getting benched), Bader's presence would be key for a club fighting to hold on to their lead in the American League East. 

Before the injury, Bader was hitting .256/.303/.370 this year with five home runs and 15 stolen bases in 72 games. He's viewed as one of the best defensive center fielders in the sport. In 2021, he won his first career Gold Glove Award.

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