Dodgers: Dave Roberts delivers brutal Cody Bellinger update

Zach McKinstry has been a more integral piece than we expected to the fate of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the early going.

Unfortunately, based on Dave Roberts’ latest update Friday, that’s going to have to continue for the foreseeable future.

Cody Bellinger has been on the shelf since Game 5 of this young season after being cleated on the left leg in Oakland.

Originally thought to be out for the weekend’s Padres series at the very least, that timeline should be extended significantly.

Bellinger battled through offseason shoulder surgery to be ready for Opening Day, but succumbed to the whims of the Baseball Gods, taken out of action by a somewhat routine play.

The damage was significant, though, and we now finally know Bellinger suffered a hairline fracture in that left leg during what appeared to be an innocuous accident.

Dodgers star Cody Bellinger is out with a hairline fracture in his leg.

Bellinger entered 2021 after an up-and-down follow-up to his MVP campaign (but really, whose 2020 was normal?).

The slugger overcame a decent triple slash of .239/.333/.455 to rocket four clutch postseason home runs, dislocating his shoulder mid-game during the celebration of his pennant-winning Game 7 homer in the NLCS.

Most of his spring work was done on the back fields in anticipation of a slightly-delayed debut, but he hustled back even as the team attempted to keep their foot off the gas pedal.

And how were they rewarded? A freak accident and a very complex recovery timeline.

The Dodgers are persevering thus far, racking up an 11-2 record and firing on all cylinders without Bellinger, but that doesn’t mean they’ll take the loss lightly. McKinstry, who can play all over the outfield and has spelled Mookie Betts and Chris Taylor, has lit the baseball up these past few weeks, hitting .297 with a trio of home runs already.

LA has the manpower to paper over this loss, but it still stings. We’ll have an updated timeline shortly — though Google pegs a typical recovery as 6-to-8 weeks. Don’t shoot the messenger.

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