THE $162M QUESTION: HOW SERIOUS IS THE INJURY TO THE YANKEES' STAR CODY BELLINGER?
Yankees star Cody Bellinger is sidelined with a minor back tweak, but Boone expects his $162.5M man back in action by Tuesday.
Yeah, it’s only February. I get it. The Grapefruit League standings matter about as much as the promises you made to yourself back in January, already collecting dust. But you can’t just shrug off a 7-2 start, not when the Yankees are making the Blue Jays look like they wandered in from Triple-A. Saturday’s 5-1 win? Pure business. No drama, no nonsense, just the kind of quiet dominance you want from a team that spent the winter actually strengthening itself, not just slapping on a fresh coat of paint.
On the mound, Paul Blackburn grabbed the spotlight. Let’s be honest: when the Yankees signed him to a one-year, $2 million deal, half the fanbase probably rolled their eyes. But he just went out there and threw four scoreless innings, looking like he’s been here forever. He knows he’s fighting for a spot in long relief or as a bridge guy, and he didn’t waste a single pitch against a Toronto lineup that usually feasts on mistakes.
Now, about Cody Bellinger. During that 17-5 blowout over the Twins on Friday, he tweaked his back. Suddenly, that five-year, $162.5 million contract felt a little more breakable.
But look, it’s not supposed to be serious.
“Cody Bellinger’s back went out on him yesterday, per Boone. The Yankees think it’s minor, and the hope is to get him back in a game potentially on Tuesday,” Greg Joyce wrote on X.
It’s the kind of update that makes you want to wrap Bellinger in bubble wrap and hide him until Opening Day. But the guy played 152 games last season. A little back hiccup in February isn’t going to keep him down.
Bryan Hoch pointed out that this is basically the same issue Bellinger had last spring. Honestly, that’s good news. If he can play almost every game, hit 29 homers, rack up a 4.9 fWAR and a 125 wRC+, and carry the outfield even with a cranky back, I’m not going to panic over him skipping a couple of bus rides to Dunedin. The Yankees are doing the smart thing here. There's no reason to have your $160 million player grimacing over a meaningless fly ball in a game nobody will remember.
So, the plan: keep him out until at least Tuesday. Boone can afford to be cautious because the rest of the team is humming, and let’s be real, the standings mean basically nothing right now. If you’re 7-2 and your “project” pitchers like Blackburn are dealing, you can let your stars take a breather. Bellinger is the heart of the lineup. After last year’s resurgence, he’s the guy you want healthy when it really counts.
If he’s back Tuesday, awesome. If it’s Thursday, who cares? The Grapefruit League doesn’t hand out rings. The real goal is to have Bellinger healthy and ready to start launching balls into the Short Porch when the games actually matter. Let the man rest.
NFL EXECUTIVE NAMES COLE PAYTON HIS "NO. 2 QUARTERBACK" IN THE 2026 CLASS
From 94.6 PFF grades to 4.56 speed, Cole Payton is the Eagles' latest QB project. Analysing his path to the NFL depth chart.
Cole Payton, who played quarterback at North Dakota State, might end up making a bigger splash as a fifth-round pick than people expect.
He’s not just another late-round flyer, either. An NFL executive recently told insider J.L. Canfora that Payton has real upside. The Eagles have done something similar before, so this isn't coming out of nowhere.
Remember Carson Wentz? Philly grabbed him with the second overall pick back in 2016, but Jalen Hurts ended up taking over. Now, some people around the league think history might repeat itself with Payton possibly replacing Hurts down the road.
The executive went all in on Payton: “You know, I believe in that kid. That was my No. 2 quarterback in the draft. And Howie [Roseman] takes him? Come on. He sees it too. Cole Payton, if you bring him along the right way, can start in this league.”
Roseman, the guy in Philly’s front office, was a big part of the Wentz pick. He’s seen his fair share of quarterback changes over the years, and honestly, that might matter this time, too.
The executive didn’t hold back: “All the stuff you hear about Hurts, all the drama and where he is in his contract." You can call me crazy, but I think this kid could take over from him in a few years. They did this with [Kevin] Kolb, even when [Donovan] McNabb was still there. I know how Howie thinks. This kid has a chance.”
Payton had to wait for his turn at NDSU.
Payton rolled into North Dakota State in 2021, known as a strong recruit for an FCS quarterback, straight out of Omaha.
He was supposed to be the next big thing, just like the string of successful Bison quarterbacks before him. But things didn’t break that way at first. Cam Miller, the QB ahead of him, kept stacking up wins and making a name for himself in Fargo.
Miller even beat out Quincy Patterson II, a gifted dual-threat quarterback who transferred in from Virginia Tech. After Patterson got banged up in 2021, Miller took over, steered the team to a national championship, and then hung on to the starting job through 2024.
Patterson left for Temple, so Payton slid into the Bison’s running packages in a spot that Patterson had filled before. And Payton did more than just fill that role. In 2022, he ran for 284 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries. By the next year, he really took off: 615 yards and 13 touchdowns on 84 carries.
Setback, then a breakout
Payton started 2024 looking like the same kind of threat on the ground, but a shoulder injury cut his season short. He only managed 164 rushing yards and a score on 21 carries before he went down.
Finally, in 2025, his shot as the full-time starter arrived after Miller left for the NFL draft, drafted by the Raiders in the sixth round. Payton made the most of it. He led NDSU to an unbeaten 12-0 regular season, completing 70% of his passes for 2,719 yards, with 16 touchdowns and just four picks. And he still ran wild, with 777 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 136 carries.
Now, he’s got a fresh chance in Philadelphia. If you ask people around the league, he’s not just there to hold a clipboard. They're watching to see what happens next.
DAVE ROBERTS COMPARES LEFTY JUSTIN WROBLESKI TO CLAYTON KERSHAW AFTER METS GEM
Discover how Justin Wrobleski transitioned from the bullpen to becoming the Dodgers' statistical leader in a historic 2026 run.
Dave Roberts gets it; he isn’t surprised Logan Webb might’ve hit Daulton Rushing with a pitch.
But there's something else on his mind: Justin Wrobleski. The Dodgers have a fresh-faced lefty in the rotation, and Wrobleski isn’t just holding his own; he’s shining. Roberts can’t help but see shades of Clayton Kershaw in him, and he’s letting people know it.
Wrobleski’s just 25, fresh out of Oklahoma State, but don’t let the age fool you. He’s pitched 36 innings as a starter with a 1.25 ERA, the best mark in the National League. People are starting to talk. Roberts definitely is. The Kershaw comparisons are already swirling, and they don’t sound that far-fetched if you watch Wrobleski work.
On Monday, he diced up the Mets by going right after hitters, pitch after pitch. Roberts has been around long enough to recognise the approach. “He’s got a great mentor in Clayton,” Roberts said, “and sometimes, it really feels like he channels Kershaw’s mentality. Attack guys, force them to put the ball in play.”
Just look at what he did to the Cardinals on Sunday. Six scoreless innings, only one walk, six hits – nothing fancy, just solid pitching. That’s two starts in a row; he’s thrown up six scoreless frames. Last year, Wrobleski mostly worked out of the bullpen. But with Blake Snell hurt and Emmet Sheehan shaky, Roberts gave him a shot, and Wrobleski ran with it. In 2025, he struck out 76 over 66 innings but had a 4.32 ERA. He got swings and misses back then, but in 2026, the punchouts dropped. Just 15 in 36 innings. Still, his control and poise jumped another level.
Roberts sees it up close. Sometimes he even jokes about the similarities. “He wears Skechers like Clayton does,” Roberts grinned. “He does his side work in his full jersey, just like Kershaw.”
Reporters asked Wrobleski about admiring a legend like Kershaw now that he’s part of the Dodgers mix. His answer’s honest: “Just watching him every day was something special for me,” Wrobleski said. “Not everyone gets to be around guys who are legends of the game.”
So yeah, it’s early. Comparisons can sound wild. But as long as Wrobleski keeps pitching this way, the talk isn’t stopping anytime soon.
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