The resurgence of Cody Bellinger has been key in the New York Yankees' recent push.
For a while there, New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger was completely dormant offensively. Between July and August, Bellinger managed just one home run and 10 RBI, and while he missed time with a hamstring injury, he wasn't effective even when he was healthy.
Bellinger posted a sub-.700 OPS for three straight months heading into September, and it was beginning to look like one of those years for the former NL MVP. This even though he got off to a torrid start this season.
But since the calendar flipped to September, Bellinger looks like a different hitter.
The lefty slugger is slashing .370/.375/.648 with four homers and 12 RBI over 56 plate appearances through the first half of the month, most recently going 3-for-4 with a two-run blast against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.
Has Bellinger's resurgence coincided with the return of Aaron Judge? Somewhat. Judge came back on Sept. 8, and since then, Bellinger has mashed four long balls and has a hit in all but one game.
However, Bellinger was also rolling the first week of September, and Judge was not in the lineup when Bellinger smacked his two-run homer Tuesday evening.
There is no question that Bellinger's dip in production was largely a result of both Judge and Giancarlo Stanton being sidelined. The 31-year-old is no longer the player he was from his early Los Angeles Dodgers days when he could carry a lineup. He need support.
But when he gets it, he becomes incredibly valuable.
Bellinger is slashing .272/.347/.443 with 16 home runs and 71 RBI over 527 plate appearances on the campaign. Has he been quite as good as last year when he smashed 29 dingers while posting an .813 OPS? No, and we cannot ignore just how invisible he was for such a long stretch when the Yankees desperately needed him to produce.
But the $162.5 million man is getting hot at the right time, with the MLB playoffs starting in less than two weeks. And we know just how outstanding he is in he field, as Bellinger has posted an incredible 19 defensive runs saved and six outs above average in 2026.
Hopefully, Bellinger can sustain his recent surge heading into the postseason, especially considering it appears that Stanton will remain on the shelf.
The Yankees paid Bellinger like an All-Star. That requires hitting like one. We'll see if it can continue.
