Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Ellsbury (back, hip) is preparing to "ramp up" to baseball activities after the outfielder received positive news when he was examined by a back specialist last week, David Lennon of Newsday reports.

EDGE Analysis

Ellsbury opened the season on the disabled list after suffering a strained right oblique in spring training, but it's a combination of back and hip issues that have slowed him since April. Considering Ellsbury has yet to play in even a minor-league rehab game this season, he'll essentially need to go through spring training all over again once he initiates baseball activities again. It thus seems unlikely that Ellsbury will be activated from the 60-day DL until shortly before the All-Star break at the earliest.