During his media briefing on Thursday afternoon, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked about 25-year-old outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger’s progress towards taking live balls and hitting on the field. Bellinger underwent shoulder surgery to repair his right (non-throwing) shoulder back in November of last year.

Bellinger had dislocated his shoulder several times during the 2020 season while diving for ground balls but re-injured it when celebrating his home run in Game-7 of the National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX on October 18, 2020, while forearm-bashing with former teammate Kiké Hernández.

“I hit Kiké’s shoulder a little too hard, and my shoulder popped out,” Bellinger told reporters after that game. “They had to pop it back in so I could play defense. It kinda hurt.”

The two-time All-Star underwent surgery on his shoulder on November 17, 2020, and was slated to have a 10-week recovery period, which would mean that he would be ready for rehab by January of the 2021 season if everything went well.

During the Dodgers Holiday Zoom party in December, Bellinger updated viewers about his progress after his surgery, as did Roberts.

“He’s recovering well, ahead of schedule; what that means I really don’t know right now,” Roberts said. “For me, for him to be ready to be somewhat active once we start Spring Training, that’s kind of the hope. I’m just happy he came out of it really well.”

Spring Training for the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, AZ officially began on February 23, 2021, but the Scottsdale, AZ native and Dodgers fourth-round draft pick in 2013 out of Hamilton High School in nearby Chandler has been there since January. He began his rehab a few weeks earlier than expected, showing significant progress. He progressed from taking swings off a tee to taking batting practice on the field.

The next step in Bellinger’s rehab is one of the most critical steps, which involves live pitching and getting him into a Cactus League game.

As far as getting to see the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year, two-time All-Star, 2019 NL MVP, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger award winner on the field against the Colorado Rockies on April 1 at Coors Field for Opening Day 2021, if his rehab continues to stay ahead of schedule like it is, all arrows point to him being in Dave Roberts’ starting lineup.

“It’s tracking really well,” Roberts told reporters on Thursday. “As he stated and as I stated, I expect him to be ready for Opening Day, and that still remains the case.”

We are all looking forward to seeing the MVP back on the field, ready to play ball!

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