Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he's "probably leaning more towards Friday" for activating Chapman (Achilles) from the 15-day injured list, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
Chapman was sharp Tuesday in what was likely his third and final rehab appearance in the minors. After making a couple outings with Double-A Somerset, he moved up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and struck out two over a scoreless inning with the club. With Boone noting earlier in the week that Clay Holmes has proven worthy of the closer's role based on how he's performed while Chapman has been out, Laura Albanese of Newsday suggests that Chapman could be eased back into the Yankees' late-inning mix with some lower-leverage opportunities in his initial relief appearances upon coming off the IL.