The Los Angeles Dodgers played the series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies without Cody Bellinger in their lineup as he continues to deal with left hamstring tightness that at minimum is likely to result in missing a fourth consecutive game on Tuesday.
When Bellinger was removed last Friday there was optimism he would return for the final game of the series against the Texas Rangers. However, an attempt to do some running did not yield positive results.
“He’s going to go out there and run, and see how it responds,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Monday’s xx. “I think we were initially hopeful it was going to be a day or two, but as the days have progressed, there hasn’t been a whole lot of improvement.
“Hopefully he hits and runs, and feels good. But even [Tuesday], it’s unlikely he’ll be in there. As we look at it right now, best-case scenario for me would be Wednesday. … [Sunday] was kind of 80%, and we’re not going to put him out there if he can’t be 100% as far as a strained muscle.
“He doesn’t want to be out there if it’s not 100%, because you don’t want to take the chance to make it a three- to four-week thing. I guess the tell would be if he can run 100%, recover and feel good.”
Bellinger’s lack of progress in recovering from the hamstring issue has prompted the Dodgers to contemplate a stint on the 10-day injured list. He would join Max Muncy and Corey Seager in being sidelined due to injury.
“There’s certainly a thought. I think [Monday] will be pretty telling, but we don’t need to make that decision right now,” Roberts said.
Injuries preventing Bellinger from finding footing
After being a delayed participant in Spring Training due to offseason shoulder surgery, Bellinger only appeared in four games before suffering the hairline fracture. Now facing the prospect of another stop, it will only further exacerbate his struggles to find any consistency at the plate.
“I think he’s handled it really well. Obviously there’s got to be some frustration in there because there’s been the start and stop,” Roberts said. “There’s still a lot of baseball for him to put together a really nice season and help us win baseball games.
“I know he knows that, but I do think part of the inconsistencies of Spring Training, to then coming back, having a five- or six-day rehab assignment, to not get untracked offensively, it’s been part of that.”
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