Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger was placed on the injured list on Wednesday after suffering two fractured ribs, manager Craig Counsell revealed to ESPN's Jesse Rogers. In a corresponding move, the Cubs promoted prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong to the majors.
Bellinger was removed from Tuesday night's game against the Houston Astros in the seventh inning. Earlier in the contest, he had collided with the outfield wall.
The 28-year-old former MVP was off to a decent start this season. In 22 games, he had hit .226/.320/.440 (111 OPS+) with five home runs and 17 RBI. Bellinger appeared to be in the early stages of a heater. Including Tuesday, he had hit for a 1.203 OPS with three home runs in his past seven outings.
It's unclear how long Bellinger will be absent from the Cubs lineup. Baseball Prospectus' recovery database indicates that players who suffer a fractured rib tend to miss more than 50 days on average. There's no way of knowing if Bellinger will conform to that number, but it's certainly possible he misses most, if not all of May.
The Cubs re-signed Bellinger over the offseason following an impressive and resurgent 2023 campaign. His new deal guarantees just one season and $30 million, but includes player options for the 2025-26 campaigns.
Crow-Armstrong, 22, made his big-league debut last season. In 13 games, he hit .000/.176/.000 with three walks and two stolen bases. He hasn't performed well out of the gate this year, batting .203/.241/.392 in 19 Triple-A contests. Crow-Armstrong was ranked by CBS Sports as the 16th best prospect in the minors over the offseason because of his potential Gold Glove Award-caliber defense in center field.
