Why isn't Cody Bellinger playing tonight? All about the Yankees OF's absence in Pirates series Game 1

Cody Bellinger and the New York Yankees arrive at PNC Park for their three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Both teams are looking to extend their win streak to two after winning the final games of their previous series.

The Pirates' pitching staff will have to be at the top of their game if they want to walk away with some series victories. The Bronx Bombers have been tearing the cover off the ball with their torpedo bats.

For the Bombers, they will come into Friday's matchup one bat short. Bellinger will sit out of Friday's game as the slugger is dealing with a stiff back. It was something that bothered him during Thursday night's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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For Friday's game, the Yanks will run Trent Grisham in centerfield, Aaron Judge in right, and Jasson Dominguez in left. Ben Rice will move from first base to DH, and Paul Goldschmidt will handle first.

Unfortunately, Paul Skenes will not be on the mound during this series against the Yankees. He pitched on Wednesday, going seven innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out six batters.

Unfortunately, this is the only series where these two clubs meet up. A Skenes vs Judge matchup is a dream that fans will have to continue to hold onto.

Cody Bellinger has been stellar for the Yankees

New York Yankees - Cody Bellinger (Photo via IMAGN)

In December, the Chicago Cubs traded Cody Bellinger and $5 million in cash to the Yankees for Cody Bellinger. Chicago got Cody Poteet in return, and the Yanks got a much-needed outfielder.

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So far, he has played in six games for his new club. During that stretch, he has hit .238/.296/.381 with a home run, six runs batted in, and a stolen base.

He has also helped Aaron Judge shift back to right field, opposed to playing centerfield like he did last year. The thought here is that it will minimize the risk of their superstar injuring himself.

However, Bellinger is not the only player who is off to a great start. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been electric at the plate with his new torpedo bat, hitting home run after home run.

While some came into the season with some hesitation on how this team might look, they have been the talk of MLB. It will be interesting to see how hot their bats can stay as time goes on.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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Edited by Jared "Bloomy" Bloom