Yankees' Cody Bellinger placed on injured list with left hamstring strain

Aaron Judge is out. Giancarlo Stanton is out. And now the Yankees are going to be down another strong hitter who also carries a golden-type glove in left.

They placed Cody Bellinger on the 10-day injured list Sunday and recalled outfielder Spencer Jones from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Bellinger suffered a left hamstring strain while running out a double in the eighth inning of Saturday night’s 3-1 win in Philadelphia. He  told reporters afterward that this was his first hamstring injury.

“It just feels a little tight,” he said. “I really don’t think it’s anything too serious. I feel like it’s on the smaller side.”

“It’s not something that seems terrible,” Aaron Boone said, addressing the media before Sunday night’s series finale at Citizens Bank Park. “He’s able to move around today. Just hope for something on the shorter side, but tough to know for sure.”

Indeed, despite the roster move, Bellinger was out in left doing some agility exercises before the game. Max Schuemann started in his place against lefty Cristopher Sanchez.

The plan for Bellinger  reportedly is to undergo testing Monday in New York while the team continues its 10-game trip in Chicago against the White Sox. The plan at the moment is also for him to not put on cleats and jog lightly for at least four days.

“Little tight,” Bellinger told reporters. “I didn’t wake up worse.”

Boone’s plan is for Jones to play left a good deal of the time, with Schuemann seeing some at-bats against lefties.

“Just got to mix and match and piece it together,” Boone said. “We have capable guys. We’re going out there expecting to win.”

Bellinger, the All-Star Game MVP, has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games (16-for-43), delivering a slash line of .372/.438/.465 in that stretch for a .903 OPS.

He is batting .259 with 11 homers, 53 RBIs and a .770 OPS after playing 102 of the first 104 games. He ranked second in the majors in Defensive Runs Saved at 19.

But now he can only watch the games.

Before beginning his hot streak, Bellinger was 5-for-56 and had a .302 OPS in a 15-game span in which the Yankees went 4-11 . “Obviously, I hit a cold stretch there for a little bit,” he said. “It was way longer than I ever wanted it to be. But I just had to keep on fighting. I’ve been feeling good, feeling better [at the plate] Yeah, it sucks.”

It’s another thing for the Yankees to try to overcome.

“It’s tough because our outfield has been suffering a lot this year,” infielder/outfielder Jose Caballero said Saturday night. “Big names the whole year. Cody is a big part of this team. I hope he feels better as soon as possible, but for sure it’s something we’re all going to feel because it’s a big bat that got off the field.”

The Yankees entered Sunday night's game at 59-45, 2 1/2 games behind AL East-leading Tampa Bay after winning five of their last six games and 10 of their last 15 despite their injuries.

“We have a great culture here,” Bellinger said. “It’s all about winning. We find ways to win.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.