Chicago Cubs star Cody Bellinger was placed on the injured list on Thursday after suffering a fractured left middle finger during Wednesday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles. Bellinger was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning from lefty reliever Cionel Perez. He initially stayed in the game before being replaced by Miles Mastrobuoni.
In a corresponding move, the Cubs recalled Alexander Canario from Triple-A Iowa.
Bellinger, 29 come Saturday, entered Thursday hitting .269/.331/.410 (107 OPS+) with nine home runs, 37 runs batted in, and five stolen bases. Although he hasn’t matched last season’s output, his contributions have been worth an estimated 1.1 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference’s estimates.
It’s unclear if the Cubs intend to sell at the deadline — that decision may require more time — but CBS Sports included Bellinger as a potential trade candidate in our ranking of the top 30 players earlier this week. Here’s what we wrote:
With the way the season has spiraled for the Cubs, we think they have to at least contemplate listening to offers for Bellinger. Remember, his three-year pact allows him to opt out after each season, meaning there’s no actual assurance either way that he’ll be on Chicago’s roster come Opening Day 2025. We’ll concede that Bellinger isn’t having as good of a year as he did in 2023, and that teams may have additional concerns about his unusual profile as a result. That, in turn, could make it more likely that he stays in place — either because teams are concerned he’ll opt-in and decline, or because teams try to use that possibility to leverage the Cubs into a worse return. A well-timed heater between now and the deadline could change things, however, and even in this current reality, he’s an above-average contributor capable of standing in center field. That’s something.
The Cubs entered Thursday with a 44-49 record on the year, putting them 10 games back in the National League Central and 3 1/2 back of the NL’s final wild-card spot. The Cubs will complete their series with the Orioles on Thursday before closing out the season’s first half with a series against the Cardinals.
