Aaron Boone spoke with reporters ahead of the Yankees‘ series opener with the Pirates at PNC Park, revealing that Cody Bellinger was left out of the lineup with a stiff back. The long-time skipper mentioned that he could be available off the bench if needed and that this back issue shouldn’t be a big deal. Bellinger had a tough series against the Diamondbacks where he struggled to generate much offense, and his back began bothering him during last night’s 9-7 win.
With the team arriving in Pittsburgh early in the morning and having a less than 24-hour turnaround between the first pitch from last night’s game and today’s game, the Yankees are playing this one safe.
Cody Bellinger Dealing With Stiff Back, Yankees Not Super Worried
Slashing .238/.296/.381 out the gate, Cody Bellinger is off to a slow start after mashing in Spring Training, and his stiff back last night could be the opportunity he needs to both get a game off and give his body some rest. The Yankees don’t have another scheduled off-day until after they play through a three-game set against the Pirates and another against the Tigers, both of which are road matchups for the Bombers.
Aaron Boone mentioned he wasn’t super concerned about this stiff back and didn’t believe it would be a big deal, and the team is rolling with a red-hot Trent Grisham in the outfield in his place. Bellinger does have some experience against Mitch Keller in his career since he played against the Pirates often when he was a Cub for two seasons, and the Dodgers got to see the Pirates 6-7 times a season as a fellow National League team.
If Grisham can continue hitting the way he has to start the season, the Yankees should be able to stomach the short-term loss of Cody Bellinger, who might be available off of the bench.
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Through five games, Trent Grisham is slashing .500/.583/.900 with a home run, three RBIs, four runs scored, and a 0.3 fWAR. He’s looked sharp in the box, hitting the ball hard and making good swing decisions in the batter’s box, which is exactly what he did during his best years with the Padres in 2020 and 2021. The upside has always been there for Grisham, who has above-average power and a great eye, but it hasn’t materialized and he was reduced to a bench role in 2024.
It could be a chance for Grisham to get some big swings off against Mitch Keller, who struggles against left-handed batters and is on the bump against Max Fried for this 4:12 PM start in Pittsburgh.