MLB rumors: Shohei Ohtani surgery in question, Bellinger injury, Giants release All-Star
- The Giants released a former All-Star
- Cody Bellinger's stand-in as designated hitter comes as he's nursing an injury
- Shohei Ohtani was scratched from the lineup, but there's question about how he'll handle his UCL injury
By Josh Wilson
Cody Bellinger is playing through bumps and bruises
At the worst possible time, the Chicago Cubs star outfielder Cody Bellinger is dealing with what manager David Ross called "bumps and bruises" which is the reason he's been playing as the designated hitter the last two games rather than out in the field.
That's unideal, as the Cubs' playoff positioning is anything but guaranteed. They sit 2.5 games back of the lead in the NL Central as of Tuesday morning and, while they currently own a Wild Card spot, are engaged in a competitive race with several other teams on that front.
Wins mean everything right now, and while the Cubs have gotten contributions from everywhere recently, Bellinger has by far been their All-Star. He has the team's best batting average and slugging percentage.
The outfielder signed with Chicago this offseason on a one-year reputation reclamation contract. That has worked out swimmingly, with him proving his last few slump years with the Los Angeles Dodgers are firmly behind him.
Assuming the issues are just bumps and bruises like Ross said, that's fine for now. The Cubs need to hope that those bumps and bruises don't turn into anything worse. Bellinger is necessary down the stretch, and even moreso in the postseason if the Cubs hope to make any noise whatsoever.
Chicago's next off day is Thursday, Sep. 14.