CHICAGO — The days of Cody Bellinger making high-flying catches at the wall aren’t necessarily over. The Chicago Cubs outfielder still has the speed, instincts and athleticism to change games on defense. But the impact from crashing into the bricks at Wrigley Field has a way of telling you to work smarter, not harder.
The Cubs on Tuesday activated Bellinger and watched their designated hitter launch a home run into the right-field bleachers in his second at-bat, giving a lead to rookie sensation Shota Imanaga. With fans chanting Tuesday night — “CO-DY! CO-DY!” — Bellinger’s single contributed to an eighth-inning rally. The Bellinger effect helped the Cubs hang in there until Michael Busch hit the ninth-inning homer in a 3-2 walk-off win over the San Diego Padres. The crowd of 38,133 celebrated amid the downpour.
This team is simply different with Bellinger, who spent 13 days on the injured list with a right rib fracture and returned to action without a minor-league rehab assignment. At this point, it’s a matter of how much pain and discomfort he can tolerate.
“It’s kind of one of those things where you just go until you can’t,” Bellinger said.
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With Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Cubs are better prepared to handle these situations.
One year ago, Bellinger’s leaping, highlight-reel catch grounded him for a month. As he recovered from a left knee contusion, the Cubs sunk to 10 games under .500 and started to look like obvious sellers at the trade deadline. Once healthy, Bellinger’s red-hot streak carried the offense last summer, convincing the front office to add rather than trade him to a team like the New York Yankees.
This time, the Cubs (22-15) withstood a series of early-season injuries that highlighted the organization’s improving depth and careful planning. When Crow-Armstrong was promoted from Triple-A Iowa on April 24, Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed that it was only because of the injuries that sidelined Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki (strained right oblique). Crow-Armstrong, who posted a .633 OPS with Iowa, still needs to work on his offensive game.
Crow-Armstrong, though, has looked more comfortable and competitive in the batter’s box than the hitter who looked overmatched during his major-league debut at the end of last season. He has one home run, two doubles and seven RBIs in 14 games — modest production that stands out when it comes with elite defense in center field. He’s also stolen two bases without getting caught, a good sign of maturity after he appeared to be overaggressive as a September call-up.
“Pete’s played well since he’s been here,” Counsell said. “He’s taken a step in the right direction. I think he’s probably swung the bat a little bit better than his numbers have shown. But at the same time, there’s still development for Pete left from the offensive side. It’s really just getting at-bats because that is a teacher.”
To make room on the active roster for Bellinger, the Cubs optioned Alexander Canario to Iowa. Crow-Armstrong could soon be headed in that direction as well. The plan is for Suzuki to do a short rehab stint with the Triple-A affiliate before rejoining the Cubs this weekend. But this audition has brought more credibility to the idea that the team’s best defensive lineup at full strength would include Crow-Armstrong in center field.
“If Pete can force us to make that decision, yeah, then he’ll force us to make a decision,” Counsell said. “I don’t think we’re there yet. But I think that’s what you want to have happen, absolutely.”
“The defense is spectacular,” Bellinger said.
If Crow-Armstrong becomes a viable two-way player — he’s hitting .225 with a .588 OPS — then Counsell has even more options to create matchups. Bellinger is a capable first baseman who won a Gold Glove in 2019 while primarily playing right field for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bellinger is also a former MVP who knows what it’s like to make a major-league debut at the age of 21.
“I can definitely relate to him,” said Bellinger, who’s a big influence on the Cubs hitters who enjoy talking about the game and sharing information. “It’s just trying to relay as much as I can to help him or to help anybody.”
Whenever reporters asked Crow-Armstrong about Bellinger the free agent, the top prospect raved about Bellinger as a player, a teammate and a resource. Crow-Armstrong and all the other players who endorsed Bellinger got their wish in spring training when he signed a three-year, $80 million contract with opt-outs. In this business, things can change fast. Bellinger has essentially told Crow-Armstrong to pay attention.
“I was a big visual learner,” Bellinger said. “Just watch all these guys that have eight, 10, 12 years in the big leagues, and how they go about their work. Ultimately, finding your own routine in this game is something that’s hard to do. And something you kind of find along the way.”
(Photo of Crow-Armstrong: Kamil Krzaczynski / USA Today)
