Yankees’ Cody Bellinger downplays back issue as he hopes to return soon
PITTSBURGH — For a second straight game, Cody Bellinger was out of the Yankees’ lineup on Saturday.
But the outfielder, whose back first tightened up on him during Thursday’s game, said he has dealt with this before and it has typically been a “few-day thing.”
He was feeling enough improvement that he took swings in the cage on Saturday morning.
“It’s feeling good, responded well,” Bellinger said at PNC Park. “I just took some swings, so I feel really good where I’m at right now.”
Bellinger described the issue as some unalignment in his back creating tightness around his belt line.
The 29-year-old expected to be available off the bench Saturday and said returning to the lineup Sunday was a possibility.
In the meantime, he was continuing to get treatment, soft-tissue work and doing core exercises.
“[I have to] do a better job of preventing it in the future,” Bellinger said. “Maybe the cold [triggered it]. Tough to really say the exact reason. Just felt it tighten up a little bit. But I like where I’m at right now.”
Manager Aaron Boone was optimistic that he could have Bellinger back in the lineup for Sunday’s series finale.
“I know there’s been incremental improvement the last couple days,” Boone said. “Hopefully available in some way today and hopefully back in there [Sunday].”
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