Cody Bellinger to be non-tendered by Dodgers, making him free agent, source tells ESPN
Bellinger was named the National League's Most Valuable Player after a 2019 season in which he slashed .305/.406/.629 with 47 home runs, 115 RBIs and 15 stolen bases while being worth 7.7 FanGraphs wins above replacement. Since then, though, he has slashed .203/.272/.376 over a stretch of 295 regular-season games. His .648 OPS from 2020 to 2022 ranked 299th out of the 338 qualified hitters during that stretch.
On the heels of an MVP and coming off the COVID-19-shortened spring training, Bellinger rejoined the Dodgers in the summer of 2020 with an overhauled batting stance that he struggled with throughout the shortened season. He then suffered a shoulder injury during a home run celebration in the National League Championship Series that necessitated offseason surgery.
Recovering from that injury was seen as part of the reason for his struggles in 2021, when his batting average plummeted to .165.He switched to a more basic approach down the stretch -- lowering his hands, choking up on the bat -- and produced in the postseason, inspiring hope heading into 2022. But Bellinger struggled once more, batting .210 with 19 home runs in 144 games for a Dodgers team that set a franchise record with 111 victories.
in the division series, when Bellinger sat on the bench with an opposing right-hander on the mound in Game 4.Copyright © 2022 ESPN Internet Ventures. All rights reserved.
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