PHOENIX — A year ago last week, Cody Bellinger was in a very different place.
“Broken leg, right?” recalled Bellinger who suffered a hairline fracture in his left leg on the first road trip of last season. “I was right here, rehabbing in Arizona. Long road, man. It’s a crazy game. A lot of ups and downs. But it’s all part of it.”
Unfortunately for Bellinger, the leg fracture was just part of it. He also had to deal with the aftereffects of offseason shoulder surgery and hamstring and rib injuries later in the year. The accumulation of challenges left Bellinger as one of the worst hitters in MLB last season.
Proof that things have turned around for Bellinger arrived Monday with the announcement that he had been named the National League’s Player of the Week for last week. Bellinger went 7 for 23 with three home runs and a 1.174 OPS.
“It’s just a week. But it’s better than not winning it, I guess,” Bellinger said. “I’m just coming in every day and focusing on what’s important, just trying to be consistent and stay healthy. Those are the two most important things.”
After a spring spent tinkering with his setup and swing mechanics, Bellinger has settled on a version that looks very similar to the hitter who won the NL Most Valuable Player award in 2019. But Bellinger doesn’t want to make any comparisons between the two seasons with so much in between.
“People can compare what they want to compare. If I hear it or not, I wouldn’t let it affect me either way,” he said.
“I don’t think in baseball you ever have it figured out. It’s always a game of adjustments. It’s one of the hardest games. But it definitely feels good. I’m not going to sit here and lie about it, it definitely feels good. But at the end of the day, I just want to keep going. I’m not going to let it affect me. I’m not going to stop working or vice versa, you know what I mean? Just another day today.”
After Bellinger’s two-home run game on Sunday in San Diego, veteran Clayton Kershaw paid the outfielder a compliment, saying Bellinger handled the difficult year well and was accountable for his struggles.
“Coming off the shoulder surgery and all those things, that’s a challenge for anybody,” Kershaw said. “He grinded through it, didn’t say anything about it.”
Bellinger said he never thought of doing it any other way.
“I was just trying to get out of it. I wasn’t trying to make an excuse for anything,” he said. “I truly thought that any day last year I was going to break out of it. I really did.
“I think it’s a really hard game and when things aren’t going your way it’s even harder. You just try to find any way to get out of that hole, probably temporary fixes last year. I mean, I’m not going to say it was fun. It definitely wasn’t fun last year. But like I said, I just tried to keep a positive outlook on it and know at some point I would get out of it.”
PRICE STATUS
A day after David Price tested positive for COVID-19, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he had not spoken with the veteran pitcher and wasn’t sure how bad Price’s symptoms are.
“Until he’s symptom-free, he won’t be with the team,” Roberts said. “That’s kind of where I’m at.”
Roberts said no one else in the Dodgers’ traveling party has exhibited any symptoms.
ROSTER MOVE
The Dodgers recalled right-hander Andre Jackson from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned Zach McKinstry back to Triple-A.
The move gives the Dodgers 16 pitchers on their active roster again. With Tyler Anderson in the starting rotation, however, they did not have a long reliever capable of pitching multiple innings. Jackson can fill that role if needed.
“Just making sure if something kind of unforeseen does happen that we have coverage in length,” Roberts said.
Jackson made three starts for OKC, going four innings in the most recent one last Tuesday. He allowed one run and three hits while striking out seven in 10-2/3 innings.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Tony Gonsolin, 1-0, 0.69 ERA) at Diamondbacks (RHP Zach Davies, 1-1, 5.02 ERA), Tuesday, 6:40 p.m., SNLA, 570 AM
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