Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger has been a below-average hitter for the past two and a half months, a significant departure from his strong start to the season. On May 7, Bellinger was batting .299 with a .924 OPS and five home runs through his first 37 games. His defensive capabilities and versatility at the time led some to believe he was making an MVP case.
Since that high point, Bellinger has hit .229 with just six home runs over 61 games, during which the Yankees hold a 30-31 record. His current OPS of .662 in that span is comparable to Anthony Volpe's career OPS. Despite his expected numbers being better than his actual performance, Bellinger has struggled.
"I’ve been through it and just got to continue to stick to your plan. Got to stay positive," Bellinger said at the All-Star Game. "This game’s hard."
A significant part of his current difficulties appears to be an uncharacteristic rise in strikeouts. In his last 17 games and 70 plate appearances, Bellinger has struck out 20 times while only walking three times, resulting in a strikeout rate of 28.6 percent. This is a stark contrast to last season's mark of 13.7 percent. The Yankees acquired Bellinger partly for his contact skills and ability to adjust his swing.
Manager Aaron Boone noted, "Probably a little more swing and miss in there. I feel like a lot of the balls he’s getting in the air, it’s like, ‘Ooh, just missed.’"
Despite the slump, there are some positive signs. Bellinger has reached base in each of his last two games, and one of his recent outs was a hard-hit ground ball directly at the shortstop. Boone remains optimistic, stating, "He’ll get it going."
If Bellinger can improve his performance, it would provide a significant boost to a Yankees lineup that has also been affected by the absences of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, as well as catcher's collective low batting average and Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s acknowledgment of his own struggles earlier in the season.