Cody Bellinger Breaks Silence as Yankees in Damage Control Mode Amid Latest Slump

In baseball, nothing is guaranteed. One moment, a team might look like they’re on fire, and the next, they might be the ones blowing up in smoke. Ask the New York Yankees, because they are facing the dilemma big time after getting swept by the Boston Red Sox and now going scoreless for three straight games. Two of those are against the struggling Los Angeles Angels, and that should tell you something.

So basically, the Yankees are stuck in quicksand. The bats have gone ice cold, and the dugout is tense. So tense that the clubhouse called for a players-only meeting. And in that meeting sat four MVPs—Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Paul Goldschmidt, and Bellinger. They were trying to figure out what had gone wrong with the team that, not so long ago, looked like the best offense in baseball.

Even rookies Jasson Dominguez and Austin Wells were there, and one thing was clear—something has to change. And Bellinger revealed what everyone has been thinking.

Bellinger, as NJ.com’s Randy Miller reported, said, “It’s been a fight. Obviously we’re not getting the job done with runners in scoring position. We’re not getting a lot of baserunners. We’re not causing traffic. We’ve got to keep on going, keep on playing our game, remember who we are, and ultimately get some Ws.” Translation? Enough with excuses now, it’s simply time to hit and get back to form. And it’s true, because the numbers are tough to look at.

The Yankees are 1 for 26 with runners in scoring position over the last three games. Five total runs in six games. That’s not a minor hiccup; it’s like a full-blown offensive blackout for them. Even Bellinger’s own first-inning double on Tuesday, the only extra-base hit of the game, couldn’t help shake up the lineup. Bellinger said, “It’s been a wild three games. It’s been very frustrating.”

And to make matters more bizarre is the fact that this is the condition of the team when Stanton has just made his way back and is hitting. Yet, nothing is falling into place. Still, Bellinger is keeping the faith. “Our pitchers have been pitching really well. Obviously, as an offense, we’ve got to pick them up and score some runs.”

Right now, the Yankees are still first in the AL East, but if they don’t buckle up, then they might not be for long. And now, while the offense is in dire condition, the front office is tinkering with the bullpen in hopes that something might change.

New York Yankees shuffle bullpen deck

After getting shut out for the third game in a row, the New York Yankees made a move late Tuesday night. They optioned reliever Scott Effross back down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The move came not long after their 4-0 loss to the Angels, a loss that still hurts the Yankees to think about. Now the team has not officially specified who is taking Effross’s place. However, with JT Brubaker freshly in from a rehab assignment, he might be the one to slide into the bullpen.

Effross, for his part, had only just rejoined the big league last week. He pitched just one inning against the Angels, and it was nothing flashy. But sure, it was a clean game—one strikeout, one hit, no runs. Still, it wasn’t enough of a great play that the team would let him stay. But it is crucial to remember that this is the same guy that the Yankees traded for in 2022. When he was dealing with nasty stuff in the Cubs’ bullpen. He had posted a 2.66 ERA with Chicago that year and looked sharp in pinstripes before Tommy John surgery shot him down.

Then, he had missed all of 2023, had back surgery, and then strained his hamstring this spring. Lady Luck has not been by his side. He has been rehabbing all over the place and grinding through the minor leagues. And now he has shown flashes of goodness, but is heading back down. The Yankees will hope that whoever comes in now can jolt the bullpen. Because silence is getting the team nowhere.

What do you think of the Yankees suddenly losing their plot? Does it remind you of the time the Yankees stumbled when Judge went into a slump last season? Let us know in the comments.