Not receiving sufficient production and dealing with multiple injuries in their outfield, the Los Angeles Dodgers called up Cody Bellinger from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday. At worst, Bellinger is the organization’s second-best prospect. He’s the best Minor League position-player.
Although the 21-year-old is a natural first baseman, he’s exclusively played left field over the past week. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Bellinger logging time in center field was also a possibility.
First base, however, where Adrian Gonzalez is entrenched, was not yet on the docket. Entering play on Saturday, Bellinger has started in each of his four games with the Dodgers.
But with the club soon expected to welcome back Logan Forsythe, Franklin Gutierrez and Joc Pederson, Roberts said Bellinger will likely to return to Oklahoma City at some point in the near future.
Roberts expects Bellinger to rejoin the Dodgers later in the year, per Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
“It was a good opportunity to get Cody’s feet wet,” Roberts said. “Do I see him coming back here at any other point? Yeah. Is it possible? Anything is possible. But there was an opportunity and we wanted to get his feet wet.”
Bellinger is 3-for-13 with one run scored, three walks and five strikeouts to this point in his first experience in the Majors. His first hit was a cue-shot down the third-base line for an infield single in the ninth inning of his debut.
Bellinger laid down a bunt single in the fourth inning on Friday night to beat the Philadelphia Phillies shift, and later drove a base hit into right field. Adrian Gonzalez was thrown out at home plate by Michael Saunders, robbing Bellinger of his first career RBI.
