The Los Angeles Dodgers held their first full-squad workout of Spring Training on Tuesday, and among the participants was Cody Bellinger, who continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery.
As of last week, Bellinger had not been cleared to take full swings and was using just his left arm. That’s despite the expectation he would be cleared to swing a bat four weeks after his operation.
Still somewhat limited, it is appearing increasingly unlikely Bellinger will be ready to play in the Dodgers’ first Cactus League game this Sunday. He confirmed as much when speaking to reporters Wednesday, pinpointing the middle of March as a potential target for his 2021 debut, per David Vassegh of AM 570 L.A. Sports:
Cody Bellinger thinks he’ll play in Cactus League games the week of March 15th. #Dodgers
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) February 24, 2021
Even though Bellinger will miss the first two weeks of Cactus League games, he is making good progress in camp. “I saw him do his work in the cage,” Roberts said of Bellinger’s activity during the club’s first workout.
“I was actually on a different field today, so I didn’t see him take swings on the field. My assumption is he did, but I didn’t see him. From everything I understand and have heard from Cody as well as the training staff, he’s in a good place physically.”
When Bellinger does get in a game, it will be interesting to see how he looks at the plate. Players that undergo surgery on their front shoulder historically struggle offensively until they move further away from the procedure.
Roberts confident Bellinger will be ready for Opening Day
Roberts previously expressed confidence Bellinger will be ready for Opening Day. His mindset hasn’t changed, even with the news that he won’t be game-ready until mid-March.
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