Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Bader (oblique) may be activated from the 10-day injured list before Friday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

EDGE Analysis

The team had been targeting May 5 for Bader's season debut for a couple weeks now, but the outfielder looks like he has a chance at being ready to go a few days before then. He began a minor-league rehab assignment April 21 and has appeared in seven games between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, going just 3-for-25 with one extra-base hit (a double) and one stolen base. However, the Yankees value the 28-year-old mainly for his defensive work in center rather than for his production with the bat, so his poor results in minor-league games won't necessarily be a major factor in when the big club decides to activate him. So long as he's not dealing with any setbacks with his oblique, Bader should settle back into a near-everyday role in the outfield immediately upon his reinstatement.