Cody Bellinger begins rehab assignment with Iowa Cubs. Anxious to rejoin teammates in Chicago
As Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger made his way to the plate at Principal Park to begin his first round of batting practice Tuesday afternoon, a group of onlookers armed with cameras and phones surrounded the cage anxiously awaiting his first swings.
“I’m excited to get in some baseball games again,” Bellinger said.
Bellinger’s road to recovery took a monumental step Tuesday when he began a minor league rehabilitation assignment with the Iowa Cubs. The 27-year-old has been on the injured list since mid-May with a left leg contusion.
“I did a lot of work in Arizona just running, defense and some live batting practice,” Bellinger said. “To get back into the flow of the game will be nice.”
More: Chicago Cubs star Cody Bellinger to join Iowa Cubs on rehab assignment
Bellinger was once one of the biggest young players in the game as a two-time All-Star, Gold Glove winner, World Series champion and even a National League MVP in 2019. But injuries and inconstant play led the Los Angeles Dodgers to non-tendering him in the offseason.
Bellinger, hoping to rediscover his success and earn an even bigger contract, signed a one-year deal with the Cubs. He was showing signs of his old, self hitting .271 (39-for-144) with nine doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 20 RBI in 37 games with Chicago in 2023.
Then he went down with the injury, hauling down a fly ball at the fence during Chicago’s trip to Houston. The timing couldn’t have been worse for Bellinger, who had found his stroke for a Cubs team that has struggled mightily without him in the lineup.
“It sucks,” Bellinger said of the injury. “But you can’t really control the injury. I can’t control how I landed. It’s just kind of unfortunate. I had to get healthy and look forward. There’s still a lot of baseball left to be played on the season.”
That means there’s still plenty of time for Bellinger to make a compelling case to the Cubs to bring him back next season, or for someone else to give the outfielder a big deal. But with the Cubs dipping down in the NL Central standings, Bellinger could be looked at as an intriguing option at the trade deadline.
The uncertainty isn’t consuming Bellinger.
“Kind of just what I said (before) and that’s control what I can control,” Bellinger said. “I can control how I feel. Control how I play and just play the game that I know I can and how I was and that’s really all I can think about.”
In the meantime, Bellinger is focused on getting back to Chicago. The journey back hasn’t been as quick as the Cubs hoped it would be, but Bellinger said it took time for the bone to heal. When it finally did, he went to the team's facility in Arizona to get some work in before coming to Des Moines.
The plan was for Bellinger to play first base Tuesday and Wednesday. He said he anticipates getting reps in the outfield as well. How long will the rehab assignment last? Bellinger doesn’t even know. The good news for Cubs fans is that he’s nearing a return to the big leagues.
“I was just trying to get out as quick as I could and trying to get as healthy as I could,” Bellinger said. “I like playing the game of baseball, so I wanted to get out there and help the team win.”
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Cody Bellinger begins rehab assignment with Iowa Cubs. How long will he be here?
