The New York Yankees traded for Cody Bellinger in a deal with the Chicago Cubs during the offseason, with the hope that heâd return to his MVP form. Bellinger hasn’t been that type of player over the past few years, but he showed some promising signs with the Cubs, hitting .307 during the 2023 campaign.
However, as she struggles now, the Yankees have a difficult decision to make regarding his immediate and long-term future with the organization.Â
According to Max Goodman of NJ Advance Media, Aaron Boone said that it’s a puzzle that he has to figure out.
âThe Yankees have four starting-caliber outfielders on their active roster and all of them deserve consistent playing time,â Goodman wrote. âItâs a situation that creates what manager Aaron Boone recently referred to as a âpuzzleâ and itâs a âlittle bit of a challengeâ when deciding who is starting every game.â
Goodman said that although the Yankees invested in Bellinger during the offseason and are paying him a lot of money, he needs to play better. Despite that, his ability to change the middle of this lineup is something the Yankees don’t necessarily have with others, making this an even more difficult decision for New York.
âThe Yankees invested a lot of money to acquire Cody Bellinger this past winter and while his overall numbers reflect how heâs been struggling to find results, heâs a quality defender and his upside is tremendous in the middle of the order,â Goodman added. âPlus, heâs flashed more power in these last few series, a sign that he could be breaking out.â
Cody Bellinger Has Regressed Since Joining the Yankees
After a 139 OPS+ showing in 2023 and 110 OPS+ in 2024, Bellinger hasnât been the same caliber of hitter he was. He’s posting a 91 OPS+ with a .215 batting average, hitting five home runs in his first 121 at-bats.
His power numbers have been an issue over the past few years, but he blasted 26 in 2023. Wrigley is a hitter-friendly ballpark, similar to Yankee Stadium, but the hope was for him to abuse the short porch a bit more than he has. The New York Yankees eventually need that.
âThere isnât an easy way to turn this situation into a platoon either,â he wrote. âIf everybody in the Yankeesâ outfield continues to play well, however, then that job will only get tougher for the Yankeesâ skipper.â
How Are the Yankees Handling Cody Bellinger’s Struggles?
It’d be surprising to see the New York Yankees work a platoon situation with Bellinger, a valuable professional and veteran. Not only does he offer the Yankees a left-handed bat, which they need in the middle of the order, but when he’s at his best, he can turn a game around.
He has swung the bat at a higher level for the Yankees over the past week, recording a hit in each of his past six games and raising his batting average from .196 to .215.
While he still has a long way to go, it’s been a step in the right direction, and hopefully, all he needed to do to turn things around.
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