Former MVP Reacts to Yankees Benching

The roster has shifted following Giancarlo Stanton's return from injury, and New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger can expect to spend more time on the bench in the coming weeks.

The 2019 NL MVP has been a good sport about the changeup, telling the press that the team is his first priority.

"At the end of the day, we're all here for one goal, obviously winning the division and then getting to the World Series," Bellinger said. "I'm sure we've all been on the opposite spectrum of who's going to play these positions, and that's a whole lot worse. So, yeah, we're all onboard with it."

Giancarlo Stanton's return from the Injured List on Monday resulted in several roster shakeups. Paul Goldschmidt was among those benched to make room in what is becoming a log jam, at least until more injuries inevitably take players out. Pablo Reyes was designated for assignment on Monday, and over the weekend, Oswald Peraza was seen catching some fly balls out in right field at Fenway Park to prepare for a utility role.

According to Randy Miller of NJ.com, Yankees manager Aaron Boone spoke with six players ahead of the Monday game, including three former MVPs, about taking turns on the bench amid the current weight of massive talent.

"Yankees manager Aaron Boone huddled with six of his 13 position players before Monday night's homestand opener, three of them former MVPs who are not named Aaron Judge," Miller wrote. "They were told all six deserved to be regulars, but from this day forward until further notice (or injuries), two of them probably would be bench players each day."

The Yankees have since endured their fifth loss in a row and third consecutive shutout as of their Tuesday game with the Los Angeles Angels, marking 29 scoreless innings for the team. This is the first time the Yankees have suffered three consecutive shutout losses since 2016.

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