TORONTO — Cody Bellinger was in the Yankees’ lineup for Game 1 of the ALDS as expected on Saturday, hitting third and playing left field.
The veteran was seen limping toward the end of and after the Yankees’ Game 3 victory over the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series on Thursday, as he bruised his left heel after scoring on a fourth-inning single from Amed Rosario. However, Bellinger insisted that night that he would be good to go for the ALDS after getting some treatment.
“He should be good,” Aaron Boone said Saturday, adding that Bellinger didn’t undergo any tests. “He should be fast. You’ll see him limping around, especially [deaccelerating], but my guess is he’ll be running well.
“I think he’s definitely seen some improvement here over the last 48 hours.”
Boone also said Bellinger re-aggravated the injury, which he initially sustained “at some point earlier in the season.”
The manager doesn’t think Bellinger’s heel will impact him at the plate.
The former MVP had a hit in each of the Yankees’ Wild Card games, going 3-for-12 with a double overall. The left-handed swinger entered the ALDS with a .657 OPS over 72 career playoff games.
Bellinger, likely to become a free agent after the postseason — he can decline a $25 million player option for 2026 — had a stellar first season with the Yankees, hitting .272 with an .813 OPS, 25 doubles, 29 homers, 98 RBI and 13 stolen bases.
