Yankees’ Gio Urshela Nearing Rehab Assignment

New York Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela is close to starting a rehab assignment, working toward his return from a hamstring injury sustained back in July

The Yankees have been ravaged by the injury bug as of late, but they could be getting a huge piece back to their lineup soon.

According to manager Aaron Boone, third baseman Gio Urshela (hamstring) is set to hit and take grounders on Tuesday. Boone said that Urshela ran at about 80 percent on Monday and if all goes well, he could begin a minor league rehab assignment by the end of the week.

The 29-year-old received a PRP shot a few days ago in order to help speed up his healing process. And now, he appears to be trending in the right direction, as he continues to ramp up his baseball activities.

Yankees' Gio Urshela Suffers Setback in Rehab From Hamstring Injury

Gio Urshela ran today at 80% today, Aaron Boone said.

He'll ramp up in baseball activity now (hitting, grounders, etc) over the next few days. He could play in a rehab game or two later this week, Boone said.

— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) August 16, 2021

Urshela has been out since August 3 after straining his left hamstring in the Yankees’ series finale with the Tampa Bay Rays on July 29. Although he pinch-hit in the first two games against the Marlins in the following series, the Yankees ultimately decided to place him on the IL five days after he initially suffered this injury.

Urshela has been absent from the Yankees for a significant period of time over the course of the past month. Beyond spending the past 13 days on the IL, he also missed nine days from July 16-25 after being placed on the COVID-19 injured list.

Luckily, the third baseman should be back with the Bombers in the near future, as the team chases the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics for a Wild Card spot in the American League. The Yankees are two games back of the Red Sox for the second Wild Card spot and are set to face off against them in a three-game set beginning on Tuesday.

They will be without Urshela in this series, but on the bright side, he should be back shortly thereafter for the stretch run of the season.

In 310 at-bats, Urshela is slashing .274/.315/.439 with a .754 OPS, 11 home runs and 41 RBIs for the Yankees this season.

Follow Pat Ragazzo on Twitter (@ragazzoreport). Be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.