Why Isn’t Cody Bellinger Playing Today? Yankees Star Rides Bench for Rays Game

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Cody Bellinger is not playing for the Yankees against the Rays today. Here’s why the New York star is starting the game on the bench.

Cody Bellinger is out of the New York Yankees lineup for Wednesday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, but no injury has been reported.

With the top American League wild-card spot secured and Aaron Judge sidelined, the open question is how many at-bats Bellinger takes into a best-of-three series that starts in six days, most likely against the Boston Red Sox.

José Caballero moves into left field against Rays right-hander Mason Englert, according to CBS Sports. The site found nothing pointing to a physical problem and characterized the absence as a pre-playoff day off.

The timing follows a cold stretch. Bellinger opened September by hitting .373 through his first 14 games of the month, then managed just three hits in his next 20 at-bats.

He managed to come through on Tuesday. His fourth-inning, two-run homer off Nick Martinez, his 17th of the season, was the only scoring in a 2-0 Game 1 win before Tampa Bay took the nightcap of a doubleheader 6-1 and clinched the American League East.

Yankees Rest Plan Includes Cody Bellinger

After the doubleheader, manager Aaron Boone singled out Bellinger, catcher Austin Wells and outfielder Spencer Jones as regulars due for rest over the final week, according to Yankees beat writer Gary Phillips.

“As best we can, we’ll get ourselves sharp. They’re real games, so we’re playing, but I definitely will pick some spots to get some guys down. Some of our leverage guys in the ‘pen, we want them pitching, but we’ll be very selective in how we do it,” Boone said as quoted by MLB.com‘s Bryan Hoch.

Gerrit Cole starts Wednesday, and Cam Schlittler follows Thursday before a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles closes the schedule, according to Hoch.

At 90-67, New York holds the No. 4 seed and will host the No. 5 seed in the Wild Card Series opening Sept. 29, according to MLB.com. The Boston Red Sox, at 84-73, are the likeliest opponent.

Judge will not be part of it. Boone said the captain has a “moderate” right calf strain and is not expected back for that round, according to Hoch.

“Missing Judge, it hurts. We all know he’s the best hitter in the game. For us in here, our mindset is, we’re going to have to find a way,” Bellinger said, as quoted by Hoch.

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Bellinger Career Resume

Bellinger’s September line sits at .338/.351/.581 with five homers and 14 RBI, according to Yardbarker. He has appeared in 76 playoff games, hitting 10 homers and driving in 37 runs.

Bellinger was born July 13, 1995, in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him in the fourth round in 2013, straight out of Chandler’s Hamilton High School. He won National League Rookie of the Year in 2017 and NL MVP in 2019, when he hit .305 with 47 homers.

His path also runs through a 2020 World Series title with the Dodgers and two seasons with the Chicago Cubs. New York acquired him in a December 2024 trade and, after a 2025 season of 29 homers and 98 RBI, re-signed him in January to a five-year, $162.5 million contract that gives him two opt-out chances and full no-trade protection, according to Bronx Pinstripes.

Limited to 130 games by a 25-game injured-list stint for a left hamstring strain, Bellinger is hitting .268 this season with 17 homers, 73 RBI and 12 stolen bases. His career totals stand at 242 home runs and 768 RBI.

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