Cody Bellinger made three plate appearances for Triple-A Iowa final night time, marking the primary sport of his minor league rehab task. The previous NL MVP has been out of motion since Might 16 on account of a left knee contusion, however seems to be making good progress in direction of returning after near a month on the 10-day injured checklist.
Bellinger performed first base for Iowa, which Cubs supervisor David Ross stated (to the Chicago Solar-Occasions’ Maddie Lee and different reporters) was partially on account of Bellinger nonetheless having some issue totally extending his knee throughout all-out sprinting. Even when Bellinger returns to the Cubs lineup, Ross left the door open for the outfielder to see extra time at first base, noting that “[Mike] Tauchman’s swinging the bat rather well and held down middle subject fairly properly. So [we’re] simply looking for the very best lineup at any time when Belli will get again.”
First base isn’t in any respect an unfamiliar place for Bellinger, as he has 262 profession appearances as a primary baseman throughout his seven MLB seasons. Nevertheless, he made solely 4 appearances at first base in 2021 and none in any respect in 2022. Bellinger’s accidents and struggles late in his stint with the Dodgers clearly factored into this decreased utilization, to not point out the truth that Freddie Freeman took over full-time first base obligation in 2022.
However, utilizing Bellinger at first base was additionally one thing of a waste of a powerful outfield glove, as Bellinger gained a Gold Glove and Fielding Bible Award for his proper subject work in 2019, and has been an above-average defender in middle subject. This glovework and powerful baserunning helped Bellinger proceed to earn enjoying time in Los Angeles even amidst his two-year funk on the plate in 2021-22.
The Dodgers opted to non-tender Bellinger this previous offseason, and the Cubs inked him to a one-year deal price $17.5MM in assured cash. That features a $5MM buyout of a $25MM mutual possibility, however it might appear fairly unlikely that either side would select to train their possibility, as Bellinger was prioritizing one-year contract presents with the intention to return to the open market subsequent winter with a greater platform season on his resume.
Chicago’s wager on a Bellinger rebound has to some extent paid off, as previous to the month-long IL stint, Bellinger hit .271/.337/.493 with seven homers in his first 163 PA in a Cubs uniform. The pattern dimension remains to be too small to attract an total conclusion a few bounce-back, nonetheless, and Bellinger did have solely a .512 OPS within the 49 PA previous to his IL placement, so some regression might need already been at play.
There hasn’t been any indication that Bellinger’s knee downside might forestall him from returning to the outfield altogether, so the primary base utilization would possibly certainly be simply the Cubs’ approach of getting him onto the sphere a bit earlier and begin ramping up for his eventual return to the Main League roster. Tauchman has additionally been strong (.274/.403/.323 in 78 PA) for the Cubs since his minor league contract was chosen on the identical day as Bellinger’s IL placement.
Within the larger image, the 29-37 Cubs aren’t too far out of the image within the weak NL Central, however the crew would possibly once more be being sellers on the commerce deadline. A 32-year-old journeyman like Tauchman most likely isn’t within the Cubs’ long-term plans, so Tauchman in middle subject may be a preview of what Chicago’s post-deadline outfield might seem like if Bellinger is dealt elsewhere.
Assuming Bellinger returns wholesome and retains hitting, he’ll be a really attention-grabbing commerce chip for the Cubs to supply on the deadline, and there’s certain to be loads of curiosity given what number of groups explored signing Bellinger final winter. Bellinger as a middle fielder naturally has much more worth than Bellinger as a primary baseman, but if sprinting continues to be any sort of a difficulty, first base is at the least a fall-back place that permits him to contribute in some capability.
