Cody Bellinger was hit with a pitch during Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds that almost certainly left him in a great deal of pain, but fortunately it sounds like the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder avoided a significant injury.
In the bottom of the third inning, Reds pitcher Luis Castillo drilled Bellinger in the right knee with a 95-mph fastball. You could actually hear the ball crack off Bellinger’s leg on the television broadcast.
Cody Bellinger gets drilled in the knee. That didn't look too good #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/65ehdDXzWn
— Dillard Barnhart (@BarnHasSpoken) April 16, 2019
The damage could have been a lot worse, however. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters after the game that X-rays on Bellinger’s knee came back negative.
Dave Roberts said x-rays on Cody Bellinger’s knee were negative.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) April 16, 2019
Bellinger is off to a ridiculously hot start in his third MLB season, as he is hitting .433 with nine home runs, 23 RBI, a .513 on-base percentage and an OPS of 1.438 through 18 games. Any extended absence for him would be a huge blow to the Dodgers, so a clean X-ray is a huge relief for the team.
