New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton to go on rehab assignment this weekend, Aaron Boone says

NEW YORK -- The Yankees are one step closer to getting one of their biggest sluggers back in the lineup.

Giancarlo Stanton, who has been on the injured list withleft Achilles tendinitis, worked out before Friday night's 4-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.The former MVP will go on a rehab assignment with the Double-A Somerset Patriots on Saturday and Sunday, the team announced.

"We'll eventually get to that point [of getting him in the outfield]," manager Aaron Boone told reporters Friday. "But first things first, want to get him in the DH spot, just get him back in, and then we'll ... kind of like we did last year, where we built on the run -- the outfield reps, we'll hopefully make that a part at some point, but not immediately."

If everything goes well for Stanton, he will face Luis Severino in a live batting practice on Tuesday.

Severino is inching closer to a return after suffering a low grade lat strain on July 14, before being transferred over to the 60-day injured list, which designates him for a mid-September return. Prior to his injury, Severino was having a strong season, posting a 3.45 ERA and 1.07 WHIP across 86 innings in 16 games in 2022.

The Yankees right-hander said he was ready to face live batters.

"I don't feel like I'm coming from any major injury," Severino said. "I feel pretty good. Arm feels pretty good."

Boone also did not commit to Aaron Hicks receiving consistent playing time moving forward. When asked if he saw Hicks as a starter, Boone kept his answer vague.

"Not today, but he and I have talked about how baseball has a way of changing things in a heartbeat," Boone said. "One big play, one big opportunity you take advantage and all of a sudden you're in there and you've run with things."

While Hicks has struggled all season long, hitting .217/.338/.304 with six homers in 103 games across 309 at-bats, his August has been particularly brutal, hitting .116/.208/.116 with five hits in 43 at-bats and 15 strikeouts.

"They'll get in there again at some point, right now off the bench," Boone said. "We're trying to do all we can to win ballgames and he needs to find a way to be a part of that, too."