Cody Bellinger has made a big splash in his first week in the major leagues, but the Los Angeles Dodgers might still send the outfielder back to the minor leagues by this weekend.
Bellinger has eight hits in 25 at-bats (.320) since his promotion on April 25th, including a two-homer game in Saturday’s 6-5 win over the Phillies.
The Dodgers have high hopes for the 21-year-old Bellinger who was hitting .343 with five homers in 18 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City. But with Franklin Gutierrez coming off the disabled list Tuesday and Joc Pederson on pace to return later this week, Bellinger will return to Oklahoma City, predicts Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times.
"It does him little benefit to stew on the bench in the majors, not getting daily at-bats. In the near future, those at-bats will be in the Pacific Coast League," McCullough writes. "Do not fret. He will not be there for long."
One player who has plenty work to do before returning to Los Angeles is outfielder Trayce Thompson, who has a .243 average in 127 major league games for the White Sox and Dodgers. Thompson has just one hit in 46 at-bats (.022 BA) with 19 strikeoutsat Oklahoma City this season -- stunning numbers for a player with big league experience.
-- Doug Mittler
