Cody Bellinger is just warming up.
The 2026 New York Yankees’ schedule is young. Starting with Tuesday’s three-game series with the Texas Rangers coming to the Bronx, and after a four-game sweep of their American League East rival Baltimore Orioles, capped off with a 12–1 win on Monday, the club sits comfortably in first place. At 24–11, New York is the talk of the division. Among the leaders of the Yankees’ success this season is Bellinger.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman vigorously pursued retaining Bellinger’s services during this past offseason, for this season, and the next four. Success comes with a price tag. According to USA Today, Bellinger’s agent Scott Boros secured a five-year package of $162.5 million in March. With an annual average of $32,500,000, it makes his client the second-highest paid player in baseball this season.
With New York’s World Series championship drought extending since 2010, Cashman sought to balance his club’s 26-man roster. After being traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Yankees in December 2024, it was Bellinger’s gains during the 2025 season that put him on New York’s radar to be retained. Slugging 29 homers, collecting 98 RBIs, and hitting 25 doubles, throw in the ability to play all three outfield positions and first base when necessary, in today’s marketplace, finding a player of equal or greater value to a ballclub would have been hard to locate and court.
Although still under contract with New York, Bellinger exercised an opt-out clause in his deal. Speaking with MLB.com in April, Cashman tells of how important is was for the organization to retain Bellinger’s services.
“He’s a really talented, multi-positional athlete with a middle of-the-lineup type of bat,” Cashman said. “He’s an intelligent player who provides us with a lot of consistency in the lineup. We wanted him back. It was us versus the marketplace, and ultimately, he’s a really high-end player who we are excited to have back.”
Prior to Tuesday’s home game with Texas and after 33 games, Bellinger is putting up impressive numbers with his bat—23 RBIs, 34 hits, 274 average, and a whopping .859 OPS. Improving on his home run totals (5) is about the only short-term concern Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone could have with his superstar outfielder. It’s the teammates he surrounds himself with that brings out the best in the 2019 National League MVP, and whose father, Clay Bellinger, played on the 2000 World Series Yankees’ championship team.
“I love where we are as a team,” Bellinger said in a report on Sunday at MLB.com. “We are very athletic. I feel like we can beat the opponent in many different ways. Right now, we are showing it. We just want to continue to keep it rolling.”
For as stacked of a roster as the Los Angeles Dodgers (22–13) have, the Yankees (24–11) with less fanfare continue to match the 2025 World Series championships in success. Just in last Saturday’s game at Yankee Stadium, Bellinger went 4 for 4, smacked a pair of homers, hit a double, and produced an RBI in each at-bat. When Bellinger is due for a maintenance game, substituting in Rice doesn’t skip a beat in the Yankees highly productive offense. The combination of Bellinger and Judge, game in and game out, demonstrates having all the bat power New York needs that has kept them in the American League pennant talk since Opening Day.
“You work your whole life pretty much in order to get into this type of position,” Bellinger told The Associated Press this past January after re-signing with New York. “So, you want to enjoy the ride and, you want to understand [everything]. You want to take in all these many different things that are being thrown at you.
“So it’s a combination of wanting to enjoy the process and hear what everyone’s got to say and ultimately expressing what you really want and where you want to see your future at.”
As the season goes on, Bellinger’s comfort level at the plate should peak in the coming weeks, all the while adding gusto to an already high-octane Yankees batting order right up until the fall. This is when Bellinger and company have a history in doing their best work.