Center fielder Cody Bellinger is making a strong run at Comeback Player of the Year, which doesn’t surprise his Cubs teammates and manager David Ross at all.
‘‘He’s the total package, right?’’ Ross said Saturday. ‘‘The defense, the clubhouse presence, the bat and the power showing up.
‘‘He really put in a lot of work in the offseason, made some adjustments and came here to prove he’s the player he was.’’
Bellinger signed a one-year, prove-it deal for $17.5 million with the Cubs after three subpar offensive seasons with the Dodgers. Based on his play so far, Bellinger figures to be a prime free-agent target this offseason.
If he’s not all the way back to his MVP form of 2019 — admittedly a high bar — Bellinger is looking like one of the best hitters in the majors since coming off the injured list June 15.
During that stretch, he’s batting .366 with four doubles, five home runs, 19 runs scored and 15 RBI.
In the Cubs’ 10-4 victory Saturday against the Red Sox, Bellinger hit his eighth career grand slam for his third homer in two days and finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBI. For the season, he’s at .305 with 12 homers and 35 RBI in 60 games.
He’s making president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer look very smart and might be the target of trade-deadline buyers looking for some punch and Gold Glove-level defense in center.
Bellinger wasn’t available to the media after the game Saturday. But after his two-homer night Friday, he said there weren’t any big secrets behind his recent surge.
‘‘Just confident in my routine, confident in my swing,’’ he said. ‘‘And keep playing the game within the game. Just being consistent.’’
‘‘It’s awesome seeing Belli back to that MVP Belli,’’ right-hander Marcus Stroman said. ‘‘I kind of said it in spring training [that a] change of scenery can be a great thing for guys.
‘‘He’s still that same player. Just because you have an up-and-down few years — people don’t understand when you have that MVP type of mentality inside of you and you have a great process and you have a great routine, it’s only a matter of time before you’re going to be at the pinnacle of your game again.’’
Injury updates
Shortstop Dansby Swanson (left heel) is eligible to come off the IL on Sunday, but Ross said he might need a little more time before being activated. The hurdle?
‘‘Running,’’ Ross said. ‘‘[He] feels good hitting. He was tracking [left-hander] Drew [Smyly’s] bullpen [session Saturday], taking reps in the cage, taking reps in the field for ground balls. A little timid coming in on slow rollers or stuff like that.”
Ross said infielder Nick Madrigal (right hamstring), who has been out since July 4, is making ‘‘good progress.’’
‘‘Looks really good, feels good,’’ Ross said. ‘‘I think the hope is if things continue to progress, we could actually get him on a rehab assignment before we go on the road [July 25].
‘‘We’re going to be cautious with his history, but he feels great and the trainers are extremely positive.’’
Madrigal tore the same hamstring in June 2021 with the White Sox and missed the rest of the season.
