Cody Bellinger was out of the New York Yankees’ lineup Monday night. While the decision may have made sense inside the Yankees’ management office, it again reignited a familiar frustration among fans.
Manager Aaron Boone told reporters Bellinger is still receiving treatment for the sore back that sidelined him for two games last week. Boone also noted that the team is in the middle of a grueling 13-game stretch and that he’s trying to be mindful of managing Bellinger through it.
New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger© Mike Watters-Imagn Images
Bellinger also missed a game in Detroit last week after getting food poisoning from eating “room service” chicken wings.
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But among Yankees fans, the phrase “trying to be smart”—and more specifically, Boone’s frequent managing of workloads has become a bit of a flashpoint. With the Yankees’ offense inconsistent, and missing pieces like Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu, the idea of sitting the left-handed slugger whose swing is “built for Yankee Stadium” is frustrating for fans.
Bellinger went 0-for-4 on Sunday, but was 2-for-5 with two RBIs the day before and has shown signs of heating up at the plate. He’s hitting .196 with a .550 OPS, so he needs to get in the rhythm of the season still.
Boone added that the decision also allowed the team to get Trent Grisham into the lineup.
Grisham has raked when given the chance to play more often this season. He’s hitting .344 with three home runs with the second highest OPS (1.073) on the team behind Aaron Judge in 34 at-bats.
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