After a fireworks show of a game in which the New York Yankees lit up the Brewers for 20 runs, the buzz quickly faded for center fielder Cody Bellinger.
In the aftermath of that blowout, the newest pinstriped addition went quiet—eerily quiet.
From March 30 through Friday, Bellinger stumbled through 34 plate appearances like a man trying to find his footing in a fog. The numbers were rough: a .100 batting average, just three hits, and a strikeout rate north of 35 percent.
His wRC+—a stat meant to gauge offensive production—dropped into the negatives, clocking in at a dismal -16. That’s not just cold—that’s frozen tundra cold.
A Glimmer in the Gloom
But baseball has a funny way of flipping the script, and on Saturday, Bellinger gave the Yankees—and their fans—a reason to raise an eyebrow.
In a game still unfolding as this was written, he had gone 2-for-4 with an RBI triple that kissed the left-field wall and would’ve been a home run in 11 other ballparks.
He scored two runs and knocked in a pair more—small steps, but steps nonetheless.
The triple was his first of the season and just his second extra-base hit. For a player whose bat had recently resembled a broom handle more than a weapon, it felt like a meaningful spark.
Hoping for the Right Version
The Yankees didn’t bring Bellinger to the Bronx to be a shell of his former self. They’re banking on glimpses of 2019—the MVP version that tore up the league—or at the very least, the bounce-back star from 2023.
If instead they get the sluggish, injury-marred hitter from 2020 through 2022, the front office and fans alike might start squirming in their seats.
There are a few valid caveats: Bellinger has been battling a stiff back and was recently sidelined by a nasty bout of food poisoning—two things that’ll sap the life out of even the best hitters.
A Chance to Turn the Corner
Saturday may not have been a statement game, but it carried the tone of a man shaking off the rust. Maybe this is just the start of a hot streak. Maybe it’s nothing. But in a long season that ebbs and flows like the tide, sometimes all it takes is one well-hit ball to change the current.