Yankees’ Cody Bellinger investment was already paying dividends before Aaron Judge’s injury
· Yahoo Sports
Aaron Boone was working out of his office at Yankee Stadium when pitching coach Matt Blake relayed the biggest news of the Bombers’ offseason.
“Cody’s back,” Blake told Boone and staffer Ryan McLaughlin, who was also on the scene.
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Boone responded with excitement, as the Yankees had come to terms with a player who had posted a 125 wRC+ and a 4.9 fWAR for them in 2025.
Blake, of course, was referring to Cody Bellinger, whose prolonged free agency unofficially came to an end on Jan. 21. After months of offers, stalemates and concessions, Boone called the Scott Boras-backed outfielder — who had been ignoring the manager’s texts toward the end of negotiations — to congratulate him on his new five-year, $162.5 million, option-heavy deal with the Yankees.
“It was quiet for a while,” Boone said Sunday before adding, “I remember that being a good day for us.”
Boone recalled that afternoon after Bellinger reminded the Yankees what a worthwhile investment he’s been thus far. The 30-year-old hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning of Sunday’s 6-1 win over the Boston Red Sox, giving the pinstripers a one-run lead before Jazz Chisholm Jr. broke the game open with a three-run shot a few batters later.
“That one felt good,” Bellinger said afterward. “It’s always nice to be able to help the team win in the late innings, and I was glad I was able to come through there.”
With a 2-for-4 performance on Sunday, as well as a 2-for-5 showing in Monday’s 7-5 win over the Cleveland Guardians, Bellinger is now hitting .276 with nine home runs, 43 RBI, seven stolen bases, an .847 OPS and a 138 wRC+.
Bellinger’s two most recent ribbies came on a 10th-inning, game-winning single in Monday’s victory.
“There’s more in the tank, and I obviously just want to continue to strive to get there,” the 2019 National League MVP modestly said, but Ben Rice (1.032, 182) and Aaron Judge (.908, 150) are the only Yankees who have been better than Bellinger in terms of OPS and wRC+ as of Monday morning. And with Judge playing through a compromising rib fracture for a month before going on the injured list on Friday, Bellinger has been the club’s second-most consistent hitter since the season began.
Entering Monday, Bellinger (2.4) also ranked second on the team to Rice (2.7) in fWAR.
“He’s been great,” said Cam Schlittler, who allowed one earned run over 5 2/3 innings on Sunday. “I think he’s a five-tool player. So obviously, with the situation with Judge, he’s one of the guys that can step up.”
“Getting to play with him now, it’s sick to see it every day, the defense, the versatility in the outfield to the infield, the way he just goes up there and swings the bat, the perfect spin off the bat,” Chisholm added. “I still don’t get how he hits the ball like that perfectly, but it’s sick.”
As Schlittler and Chisholm alluded to, Bellinger hasn’t just been an asset on offense. He’s also been one of the best defensive left fielders in baseball this season.
Heading into Monday, the two-time All-Star easily led his position with 15 Defensive Runs Saved. Tampa Bay’s Chandler Simpson was in a distant second with six.
Simpson led all left fielders with six Outs Above Average, while Bellinger was second with three. The two were tied atop the leaderboards with a Fielding Run Value of four.
While Bellinger is capable of playing all three outfield spots and first base, the stabilizing presence he brought to Yankee Stadium’s spacious left field — after years of the position being a revolving door — is partly why Brian Cashman prioritized re-signing the 30-year-old over the winter.
“I feel like he’s been amazing in left field,” Boone said early last week, though Bellinger’s ability to tailor his approach at the plate and fit in the clubhouse were also attractive qualities.
“He’s just a gritty gamer,” Boone said. “He’s playing really well on both sides and on the bases, and he’s just a winning player.”
While there’s still plenty of time before Bellinger’s contract can be graded, his impressive start to the season is one of the reasons why the Yankees believe they can withstand Judge’s daunting absence. Rice’s emergence as one of the game’s best young hitters is another, and so is a fearsome rotation that stands to improve once Max Fried is back from a bone bruise.
The Yankees haven’t always stayed afloat when Judge gets hurt; the 2023 season is a prime example. But this squad is much deeper than the one that lost the three-time MVP to a broken toe three seasons ago, and Bellinger deserves some credit for that.
“Obviously, it’s a huge loss,” Bellinger said of Judge. “We all feel it in this locker room, and at the end of the day, we’re gonna have to find ways to win. Even just having his name in that lineup is a presence, so we’re gonna have to find ways to win, continue to believe in each other, and continue to play good baseball.
“We all gotta lean on each other in here. We still have a really, really talented team, and we got a lot of athletic guys, and we can win in many different ways. We’re gonna have to fight, and [Sunday] was a good day to get going.”
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