With Aaron Judge sidelined, the Yankees are searching for answers—and Cody Bellinger, swinging a hot bat and speaking like a true veteran, is stepping up to keep hope alive in the Bronx.

Cody Bellinger and the Yankees lineup will need to step out with Aaron Judge potentially facing a stint on the injured list.

It feels like we’ve been here before. It feels like we’re always here, actually, asking: Hey, what kind of player is Cody Bellinger? What kind of contract should he get? It was the question after the disastrous 2021-’22 that got him non-tendered by the Dodgers.

Cody Bellinger met with the media after Tuesday's loss to the Cleveland Guardians. He spoke about the Aaron Judge news.

Since joining the Yankees prior to last season, Cody Bellinger has drawn praise from his coaches and teammates for his defense. There have been highlight-reel worthy plays and the catch and throw to double off Francisco Lindor at first base during the Subway Series last July that helped end a five-game losing streak — and begin a five-game winning streak.

The long ball was the second in as many games for Bellinger, who had gone deep just once over his previous 20 contests. He's up to eight homers on the season along with a .277/.379/.497 slash line, 34 runs,

See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The New York Yankees made a huge trade for Cody Bellinger last winter, but the star slugger opted out of his contract after a ...