Giancarlo Stanton Held Hitless in Somerset Patriots Rehab Assignment

Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson and Tommy Kahnle had uneven nights according to the stat sheet, but all three players made strides in their rehab in Double-A as they look forward to possibly rejoining the New York Yankees rather soon.

In a 3-1 loss for the Somerset Patriots to the Portland Sea Dogs, Stanton went 0-for-3 with a walk, while Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a single. Khanle pitched the seventh inning, giving up a run on two walks with a strikeout.

Stanton and Donaldson are coming back from hamstring injuries, while Khanle is trying to get back to the Major's after battling various arm ailments the past couple of years.

In 13 games, Stanton was hitting .269 with four homers and 11 RBI with the Yankees this year. Donaldson has played in only five games this year, batting .125 with a homer and an RBI.

Here's what Stanton had to say about when he expects to return to the Big League's:

Richard Fitts took the loss for Somerset, allowing a pair of runs on eight hits over six innings of work.

Trey Sweeney accounted for the only Somerset run -- a solo homer in the bottom of the third inning.

Ceddanne Rafaela, who is ranked third among the Boston Red Sox top prospects, had a huge evening, driving in a pair of runs, one on a sac fly in the fifth inning; the other on a double in the seventh.

It will be interesting to see what the Yankees decide to do with the trio of Stanton, Donaldson and Kahnle in the coming hours and days. Harrison Bader was placed on the 10-Day IL, which could create an opening for a return for either Stanton or Donaldson.