Yankees Drop Slugger in Lineup Following Offensive Struggles

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kristie Ackert | Last updated Apr 25, 2025 5:38 PM ET

Slumping outfielder Cody Bellinger has been moved down in the New York Yankees' batting order. For the first time this season, Bellinger will hit fifth in Friday night's series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. This marks a notable shift, as Bellinger had consistently occupied the second spot in the lineup and never hit lower than fourth before this season.

Manager Aaron Boone had previously suggested that he was considering shaking up the lineup a bit.

"I’ll consider everything… Still expecting him to end up hitting somewhere in the middle of the lineup. But yeah. You can always tinker with things as you move forward, depending on what you’ve got that day"

The return of outfielder Trent Grisham, who was leading off, allowed him to move around his better hitters at the top.

Bellinger's early-season struggles are concerning.

He's batting .179 with a .237 on-base percentage and a .313 slugging percentage over 19 games. Notably, he's hitting just .091 against breaking pitches and has a 25% strikeout rate citeturn0news13. Additionally, his pull-side fly ball rate has dropped to 15.7%, a significant decline from the 27.7% rate during his 2019 MVP season.

The Yankees acquired Bellinger this winter from the Chicago Cubs as part of their plan to rebuild the offense after losing slugger Juan Soto to free agency and find some left-handed protection for Aaron Judge. The Stadium’s short porch in right field was seen as a perfect fit for Bellingers’ lefty swing. There was hope a change of scenery could get him back to his National League MVP form.

So far, Bellinger has looked more like his early days struggling with the Cubs than his best years with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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