With the Los Angeles Dodgers departing for a 10-game road trip Wednesday evening, Cody Bellinger and Zach McKinstry will be reporting to the team’s alternate training site at Camelback Ranch to continue rehabbing from their respective injuries.
McKinstry revealed as much when speaking with media before the series opener against the Cincinnati Reds, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts later outlined the plan for Bellinger. Heading to Arizona will allow for Bellinger to face live pitching as his progression continues.
“Once that fracture heals, coinciding with the live at-bats, hopefully we can hit the ground running when he’s healed,” Roberts said. “He’s doing great, trending in the right way.”
Bellinger suffered the hairline fracture in his left fibula when getting spiked in the calf on April 5. However, the full extent of his injury was not discovered until more than one week later.
“It’s just a slow process. It’s more so pain tolerance at this point. I’ve been in the training room, working out,” Bellinger said last week. “I can’t really do much until the bone heals, which takes… I don’t really know. It depends on each person.
“But once that bone heals up, from what I’ve been told, you’re ready to go from there. I’ve been hitting in the cage and playing catch every day, just so I’m staying baseball ready. So once my bone is good to go, I’m ready to play.”
Roberts reported pain had started to subside and Bellinger was able to run at 40% of his body weight on Monday, all the while regularly participating in batting practice on the field for a handful of days now.
“He’s keeping his arm moving, moving around. Each day it’s been getting better,” Roberts added.
Bellinger already is eligible to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list but the Dodgers do not have a target date or timetable for his return. “I just think the healing is the most important with the fracture,” Roberts noted. “When that is, then he’ll be ready.”
Bellinger among players progressing toward return
The Dodgers have cooled considerably since starting the season at 13-2, and much of their recent struggles have been a result of mounting injuries. In addition to Bellinger making progress in his recovery, McKinstry is steadily moving along since suffering a right oblique strain, and Joe Kelly could be activated in the coming weeks.
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