Cody Bellinger was on top of the baseball world in 2019 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
There was maybe no more promising player in MLB than the athletic, multi-positional, super slugging lefty.
Three years later, the Dodgers non-tendered him, letting him become a free agent.
And three years on from that, Bellinger is back in L.A. this weekend as a member of the New York Yankees to play against his old team.
The move may have made sense for the Dodgers at the time, but the Yankees are now the beneficiaries.
MORE: Yankees-Dodgers series can make MLB MVP history
Why did the Dodgers get rid of Cody Bellinger?
Bellinger couldn’t stay healthy after his MVP season, and it crushed his production.
He dealt with shoulder, calf and rib injuries that made him tank at the plate.
In 2020, Bellinger hit .239 with 12 homers in 56 games.
The worst came in 2021, when Bellinger batted .165 with 10 HRs in 95 games.
It wasn’t much better in 2022 with a .210 average and 19 homers and 144 games.
That’s when the Dodgers let him go, with Bellinger three seasons of injury and struggle removed from his .305 AVG/47 HR 2019 season.
MORE: Aaron Judge receives wild unintentional walks
Cody Bellinger timeline since Dodgers
After the Dodgers released Bellinger, he joined the Chicago Cubs in free agency and bounced back immediately.
In 2023, Bellinger batted .307 with 26 home runs.
He wasn’t quite as good last season but still ended at .266 with 18 HRs in 130 games.
That was good enough for the Yankees to sign Bellinger to a three-year, $80 million deal in the offseason.
So far, so good. Bellinger is batting .258/.329/.457 and has eight home runs through the Yankees’ first 50 games.
He’ll get a chance to add to those numbers against the Dodgers this weekend.
MORE MLB NEWS:
