- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,207,148
- Reaction score
- 59
PHILADELPHIA — None of this is lost on Cody Bellinger.
For the battle-tested Yankees outfielder, returning to the All-Star Game for the first time in seven years is about much more than celebrating a strong 2026 season.
It’s a testament to how much he’s overcome.
“It means a lot,” Bellinger said Monday at Citizens Bank Park, shortly after he was named the American League’s starting right fielder and No. 6 hitter for Tuesday night’s All-Star Game.
“I’m really enjoying it. Not that I took it for granted last time, but I was so young, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll be here every year.’ And it’s not like that. It’s hard. It’s hard to be an All-Star.”
This is the third All-Star selection for Bellinger, who turned 31 on Monday. Bellinger’s previous two All-Star appearances came with the Los Angeles Dodgers — first during his standout rookie season in 2017, and then two years later during his 2019 National League MVP campaign.
Bellinger was barely 24 for the latter of those NL selections. At that point he was years away from marrying his wife, Chase, or from welcoming their two daughters.
Back then, the lefty-swinging slugger had every reason to believe he would be a perennial participant in the Midsummer Classic. Bellinger hit .305 with 47 home runs and a 1.035 OPS in 2019 and won the NL Gold Glove in right field, too.
But things turned quickly for Bellinger, who suffered a dislocated right shoulder while celebrating a go-ahead home run in Game 7 of the 2020 NLCS — an important hit in the Dodgers’ road to a World Series title that fall.
Following offseason surgery, Bellinger batted just .165 with 10 home runs and a .542 OPS over 350 plate appearances in 2021.
Bellinger’s numbers remained uncharacteristically down in 2022, when he hit .210 with 19 home runs and a .654 OPS over 144 games.
In a decision that would have seemed unthinkable two years earlier, the Dodgers non-tendered Bellinger the following offseason, making him a free agent rather than signing him to a contract in his final year of arbitration.
“I was there when he was struggling at the end with us, and to have that [career revival] with the Cubs and then carry it over to the Yankees, it’s special,” Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said Monday.
“It’s hard to do. It’s hard to be consistently good in this game over a long time. It’s even more cool when guys have a down year and they rebound. That means they’ve worked so hard to try and do that. Credit to Cody. We love Cody with the Dodgers.”
Bellinger has since said he returned from his shoulder injury as quickly as possible, and that the then-raging COVID-19 pandemic — which restricted whom he could work out with after his operation — complicated his rehab.
It wasn’t until Bellinger signed a one-year prove-it contract with the Chicago Cubs for the 2023 season that he began to return to form.
Feeling healthy again, Bellinger regained bat control and improved his plate coverage. He batted .307 with 26 home runs and an .881 OPS in 2023, which he parlayed into a three-year, $80 million contract with annual opt-outs.
But that wasn’t the end of the adversity for Bellinger.
After a solid but more pedestrian 2024 season, the Cubs traded Bellinger to the Yankees in a cost-cutting move, receiving only spot starter Cody Poteet in return.
The Yankees loved Bellinger’s positional versatility and left-handed swing, which they deemed a perfect fit for Yankee Stadium. Acquiring Bellinger was a big part of their pivot after losing superstar outfielder Juan Soto to the Mets in free agency.
Bellinger — the son of former Yankees utility man Clay Bellinger — acclimated himself to the Bronx quickly, hitting 29 home runs (his most since his MVP season) with an .813 OPS in 2025 and serving as a left-handed complement behind righty-swinging Aaron Judge in the lineup.
“He’s got that competitive nature, but he can also hide it pretty well,” fellow Yankees All-Star Cam Schlittler said of Bellinger. “He handles it good on and off the field, and at the end of the day, the guys look up to him, and he performs. That’s all that really matters.”
Bellinger opted out of his contract last offseason, positioning himself for the kind of long-term deal that eluded him after his Dodgers tenure ended unceremoniously.
While his free agency played out slowly, a return to the Yankees always made the most sense for both parties. The reunion ultimately came together in late January, when the Yankees re-signed Bellinger to a five-year, $162.5 million contract with opt-outs after the second and third seasons.
It’s proven to be a good decision for both sides. Bellinger is hitting .254 with 11 home runs, 51 RBI and a .766 OPS, despite a June slump that dropped his statistics following a torrid start.
His 17 defensive runs saved (DRS) in left field are tied for the most of any MLB player at any position.
“He prepares really well, and that’s something that I always try to do,” said Ben Rice, another Yankee All-Star. “Just paying attention to how he prepares for different pitchers, different situations, how he prepares in the cage, defensively, how he gets his body ready, he’s just a total pro.”
Bellinger was initially chosen to be an All-Star reserve, but injuries to Judge and Minnesota’s Byron Buxton opened up a starting spot in the AL outfield for Tuesday night’s game in Philadelphia.
It’s all part of a special experience for Bellinger, who allowed himself to time to appreciate his journey after learning of his All-Star selection.
“There’s a lot of reflection that’s gone on, so when I found out, it was a cool moment,” Bellinger said. “I’m not gonna lie, I was excited.”
Continue reading...
For the battle-tested Yankees outfielder, returning to the All-Star Game for the first time in seven years is about much more than celebrating a strong 2026 season.
It’s a testament to how much he’s overcome.
“It means a lot,” Bellinger said Monday at Citizens Bank Park, shortly after he was named the American League’s starting right fielder and No. 6 hitter for Tuesday night’s All-Star Game.
“I’m really enjoying it. Not that I took it for granted last time, but I was so young, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll be here every year.’ And it’s not like that. It’s hard. It’s hard to be an All-Star.”
This is the third All-Star selection for Bellinger, who turned 31 on Monday. Bellinger’s previous two All-Star appearances came with the Los Angeles Dodgers — first during his standout rookie season in 2017, and then two years later during his 2019 National League MVP campaign.
Bellinger was barely 24 for the latter of those NL selections. At that point he was years away from marrying his wife, Chase, or from welcoming their two daughters.
Back then, the lefty-swinging slugger had every reason to believe he would be a perennial participant in the Midsummer Classic. Bellinger hit .305 with 47 home runs and a 1.035 OPS in 2019 and won the NL Gold Glove in right field, too.
But things turned quickly for Bellinger, who suffered a dislocated right shoulder while celebrating a go-ahead home run in Game 7 of the 2020 NLCS — an important hit in the Dodgers’ road to a World Series title that fall.
Following offseason surgery, Bellinger batted just .165 with 10 home runs and a .542 OPS over 350 plate appearances in 2021.
Bellinger’s numbers remained uncharacteristically down in 2022, when he hit .210 with 19 home runs and a .654 OPS over 144 games.
In a decision that would have seemed unthinkable two years earlier, the Dodgers non-tendered Bellinger the following offseason, making him a free agent rather than signing him to a contract in his final year of arbitration.
“I was there when he was struggling at the end with us, and to have that [career revival] with the Cubs and then carry it over to the Yankees, it’s special,” Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said Monday.
“It’s hard to do. It’s hard to be consistently good in this game over a long time. It’s even more cool when guys have a down year and they rebound. That means they’ve worked so hard to try and do that. Credit to Cody. We love Cody with the Dodgers.”
Bellinger has since said he returned from his shoulder injury as quickly as possible, and that the then-raging COVID-19 pandemic — which restricted whom he could work out with after his operation — complicated his rehab.
It wasn’t until Bellinger signed a one-year prove-it contract with the Chicago Cubs for the 2023 season that he began to return to form.
Feeling healthy again, Bellinger regained bat control and improved his plate coverage. He batted .307 with 26 home runs and an .881 OPS in 2023, which he parlayed into a three-year, $80 million contract with annual opt-outs.
But that wasn’t the end of the adversity for Bellinger.
After a solid but more pedestrian 2024 season, the Cubs traded Bellinger to the Yankees in a cost-cutting move, receiving only spot starter Cody Poteet in return.
The Yankees loved Bellinger’s positional versatility and left-handed swing, which they deemed a perfect fit for Yankee Stadium. Acquiring Bellinger was a big part of their pivot after losing superstar outfielder Juan Soto to the Mets in free agency.
Bellinger — the son of former Yankees utility man Clay Bellinger — acclimated himself to the Bronx quickly, hitting 29 home runs (his most since his MVP season) with an .813 OPS in 2025 and serving as a left-handed complement behind righty-swinging Aaron Judge in the lineup.
“He’s got that competitive nature, but he can also hide it pretty well,” fellow Yankees All-Star Cam Schlittler said of Bellinger. “He handles it good on and off the field, and at the end of the day, the guys look up to him, and he performs. That’s all that really matters.”
Bellinger opted out of his contract last offseason, positioning himself for the kind of long-term deal that eluded him after his Dodgers tenure ended unceremoniously.
While his free agency played out slowly, a return to the Yankees always made the most sense for both parties. The reunion ultimately came together in late January, when the Yankees re-signed Bellinger to a five-year, $162.5 million contract with opt-outs after the second and third seasons.
It’s proven to be a good decision for both sides. Bellinger is hitting .254 with 11 home runs, 51 RBI and a .766 OPS, despite a June slump that dropped his statistics following a torrid start.
His 17 defensive runs saved (DRS) in left field are tied for the most of any MLB player at any position.
“He prepares really well, and that’s something that I always try to do,” said Ben Rice, another Yankee All-Star. “Just paying attention to how he prepares for different pitchers, different situations, how he prepares in the cage, defensively, how he gets his body ready, he’s just a total pro.”
Bellinger was initially chosen to be an All-Star reserve, but injuries to Judge and Minnesota’s Byron Buxton opened up a starting spot in the AL outfield for Tuesday night’s game in Philadelphia.
It’s all part of a special experience for Bellinger, who allowed himself to time to appreciate his journey after learning of his All-Star selection.
“There’s a lot of reflection that’s gone on, so when I found out, it was a cool moment,” Bellinger said. “I’m not gonna lie, I was excited.”
Continue reading...
