The New York Yankees will be without a key piece of their lineup today as they look to even their series against the Detroit Tigers. Center fielder Cody Bellinger has been ruled out of Game 2 due to food poisoning, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post. According to the report, the Yankees believe the illness stemmed from a batch of wings Bellinger ate the night before.
“He’s been throwing up,” Joyce wrote on X. “So that’s why he’s not in the lineup.”
It’s a tough blow for the Yankees, who dropped the series opener and now face Tigers ace Tarik Skubal without one of their most important bats. At 6-4 on the season, New York is looking to avoid back-to-back losses and set up a decisive rubber match. But doing so without Bellinger against a dominant lefty is no easy task.
Bellinger is in his first season in pinstripes after the Yankees acquired him from the Chicago Cubs this offseason. The deal came in the wake of Juan Soto’s stunning move to the New York Mets, leaving the Yankees scrambling for a replacement. Bellinger, a two-time All-Star and former MVP, was seen as a bounce-back candidate who could return to form in the Bronx.
Through 10 games, Bellinger is batting .233 with one home run and six RBIs. He’s 7-for-30 at the plate and has shown flashes of the offensive upside the Yankees are banking on. While this stomach issue seems minor, there’s some concern given that Mookie Betts of the Dodgers recently missed over a week with a similar illness.
For now, the Yankees are taking a cautious approach with their new center fielder. They need Bellinger healthy and producing if they hope to keep pace in the loaded AL East, especially with Soto gone and Aaron Judge still easing into the season.
Today, though, the focus will shift to how the Yankees respond without him in a must-win game against one of the hottest pitchers in the league.
