Following a slow start to his first season in pinstripes, Cody Bellinger has started to pick things up at the plate.
Prior to Sunday’s Subway Series finale at Yankee Stadium, the outfielder was hitting .312/.393/.545 with six doubles, four home runs and 10 RBI over his last 20 games. He’d been even hotter over his previous 12 contests, slashing .340/.400/.580 with three doubles, three homers and six RBI.
Bellinger remained productive in the Yankees’ first two games against the Mets, going 3-for-5 with a double in Friday’s win and 1-for-3 with a solo homer in Saturday’s loss.
Aaron Boone recently attributed Bellinger’s improved numbers – he hit .173/.226/.293 over his first 21 games – to the veteran’s pitch selection and “better balance at the plate.”
“Add those two things up with his bat and ball and athleticism, now the results are starting to follow,” Boone said.
Bellinger agreed that he’s felt more balanced at the plate after some minor mechanical adjustments. He declined to specify what they were exactly, but it appears he’s been using a slightly more open stance in recent weeks.
“It’s never really anything drastic,” Bellinger said. “It’s always like a few little cues in your head, and then at the end of the day, it’s approach.”
Cody Bellinger’s stance is more open in May than it was in March/April.
Mar/April: 2° Open Stance | 78 wRC+ | .296 xwOBA
May: 10° Open Stance | 143 wRC+ | .381 xwOBAAre we looking at the Open Stance Yankees? pic.twitter.com/Eui7OOXLwd
— Ryan Garcia (@RyanGarciaESM) May 17, 2025
He added that he’s had some conversations with the Yankees’ hitting coaches, just to see what they’ve been seeing from his at-bats.
Lately, it’s been a lot of success.
“Results are always good,” Bellinger said. “I kind of take my victories as my approach and my plan. If I’m executing that, then that’s all I can control.”
Updates On Oft-Injured Pitchers
The Yankees announced that Scott Effross completed his rehab assignment, was reinstated from the 15-day injured list and was optioned to Triple-A on Sunday.
The reliever was rehabbing a left hamstring injury, which he suffered in spring training. Effross has also battled back and Tommy John surgeries in recent years, limiting him to just 16 big league games since the Yankees acquired him from the Cubs midway through the 2022 season.
Meanwhile, JT Brubaker, another oft-injured righty, began a rehab assignment with High-A Hudson Valley on Sunday. He started for the Renegades, totaling zero runs, one hit, one walk, three strikeouts and 37 pitches over three innings.
Brubaker fractured his ribs in spring training, and other injuries, including Tommy John surgery, have kept him out of the majors since 2022. The former Pirate has yet to make his Yankees debut.
