It’s almost a month, what is the MVP doing who said he’s aiming for the free agent market in a year?

The star player, who was often exposed to the media at the beginning of the season, has been out of news since one day. when will he come back?스포츠토토

Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger.

Bellinger was last excluded from the entry for the Houston Astros match held at Minute Maid Park on the 16th of last month (Korean time). At that time, during defense in the bottom of the 7th inning, Kyle Tucker’s left knee hit the fence while landing after running to the fence and catching it, and suffered a goal bruise.

Bellinger, who was placed on the injured list (IL) the next day, was expected to be able to return in 10 days, but the pain came up while running and the rehabilitation was prolonged. It has already been 24 days since he was on IL. In terms of his number of games, the 9th match against the Los Angeles Angels was his 25th missed game this season. Earlier, on April 26, Bellinger had been away from the team for four days after his wife gave birth to their second daughter.

The news is that he is now in full-scale rehabilitation. In an interview with MLB.com on the 8th, Cubs President Jed Hoyer said, “Bellinger will start a minor league rehabilitation soon. I will look at his physical condition and decide the schedule and team he will play in.” He needs a rehab,” he said.

Bellinger, who has been moving with his team, started combining batting training with running and agility exercises from the trip to San Diego on the 3rd. Bellinger said in an interview on the 5th, “It is impossible to return after this expedition.” The Cubs will finish their 10-game road trip with the San Francisco Giants on the 12th.

If he starts his minor rehab soon as planned, he is expected to be able to return at the end of this month.

Bellinger injured his left knee while hitting a fence after catching Kyle Tucker’s deep batted ball in the bottom of the 7th inning against Houston on the 16th of last month (Korean time), and is assisted by his teammates. AP Yonhap News
Bellinger had a batting average of 0.271 (39 hits in 155 at-bats), 7 homers, 20 RBIs, 29 runs scored, 9 stolen bases, and an OPS of 0.830 in 37 games before joining the IL. It’s not at the level of 2019 when he won the MVP, but it’s a lot out of the condition that hit the bottom in the last three years.

Bellinger played 156 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019, batting 0.305, hitting 47 homers, 115 RBIs, and OPS 1.035 to become the NL MVP. At the time, the local media mainly evaluated that if Bellinger became a free agent, he would become the main character with the highest ransom ever.

However, the downward trend began in 2020, and the sluggishness was not shaken until last year. The incident that put Bellinger into abyss occurred in the final Game 7 of the 2020 NL Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves.

Bellinger hit a dominant solo home run in the bottom of the 7th inning when the score was tied 3-3, leading the team to a 4-3 victory, but injured his shoulder as the home run ceremony was too violent. In the end, I underwent surgery that winter, and the aftermath continued. In 2021, he only appeared in 95 games in three IL appearances. He left a disastrous record with a batting average of 0.165 and an OPS of 0.542.

Last year, there were no injuries, but in 144 games, the batting average was 0.210, 19 homers, and OPS 0.654, which were also well below expectations. In his postseason, he suffered humiliation such as being replaced by a pinch hitter in a crucial chance or being excluded from the starting lineup. During the two seasons of 2021-2022, the adjusted score creation power, or wRC+, was 69, falling far short of the league average.

The Dodgers eventually released Bellinger as a non-tender last winter. It was not necessary, so he was free to sign with another team. However, when I came to the FA market, clubs appeared that would treat me generously. According to agent Scott Boras, multiple clubs have offered long-term contracts of more than two years. However, Bellinger signed a one-year, $17.5 million contract with the Cubs, with a player-club mutual option for 2024. If he is confident, he can give up the option and tap the free agent market again.

This contract structure was conceived by Boras. In other words, it is a strategy to hit the FA jackpot after restoring honor this year.

By mid-May, momentum was good. It is unknown if he will be able to recover after a month or more of injury hiatus, but since he was injured while playing hard, he cannot blame anyone.