Belli shows shoulder is fine with 1st HR of '21

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- It didn’t take long for Cody Bellinger to show that his right shoulder feels just fine.

The Dodgers’ star outfielder made his second appearance in a Cactus League game since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right (non-throwing) shoulder and had much better swings, including his first homer of the spring in the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 7-7 tie with the D-backs on Thursday.

“I think he’s seeing the baseball really well,” said manager Dave Roberts. “Certainly the results were good today, but more importantly, he’s feeling good and seeing the baseball.”

Bellinger took a big hack in his first plate appearance on Thursday, flying out to left field. He flied out to left field again in his second at-bat, but the ball left his bat with a 101.3 mph exit velocity. He got in the hit column with his third appearance, smacking a single to right field.

But in his final at-bat, a more timed-up Bellinger took the biggest swing of the day and crushed a homer off D-backs right-hander Keury Mella. The exit velocity was 107.3 mph, and the estimated distance was 373 feet.

Bellinger, who has been trying a more open stance this spring, was a little more closed off against Arizona.

“I’m not sure what he and the hitting guys came up with, but [he] certainly [was] a few degrees more closed,” Roberts said. “He looked comfortable and took some good swings.”

The goal for the Dodgers is to give Bellinger 30 to 40 at-bats before Opening Day. He’ll be off on Friday but is expected to be back in the lineup on Saturday against the Padres.

'Pen just fine with Price

With two weeks until Opening Day, all eyes will be on David Price, Julio Urías, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May whenever they take the mound as the Dodgers look to round out their rotation.

It was Price’s turn to take the mound against the D-backs on Thursday. He had some mixed results, as he allowed two runs on seven hits over 2 2/3 innings. But after sitting out the 2020 season, Price feels “extremely healthy,” and that’s the biggest takeaway for the veteran this spring.

“That, to me, is a very big thing,” Price said. “It’s been tough to do in years past and to be able to work on different things right now while playing catch, and to be able to really get after it in bullpens, that’s something I’m very excited for.”

At the beginning of camp, it looked as though Price was a lock to slot right back into the rotation despite the addition of Trevor Bauer. But as the Dodgers finalized the Bauer signing, Price made sure to text president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman to let him know that he’s willing to pitch in any role the team needs.

Price, who has made 311 of his 321 regular-season appearances as a starter, reiterated on Thursday that he’s still very much open to the idea of coming out of the bullpen.

“I want my teammates to know that I want us to be the best version of the Dodgers that we can be, and whatever that entails me doing, I’m OK with that,” he said. “I’ve done this for a long time, and I know that we have a tremendous amount of talent in our young guys, and those guys deserve the opportunity to go out there and be starters. … If me going to the bullpen gives those guys more opportunities, I’m all for that.”

• Price 'ready for whatever' Dodgers ask

Although Price would be ready to accept such a move, the Dodgers aren’t quite yet ready to decide which two pitchers will start and which two will likely pitch out of the ‘pen. Roberts said there’s no sense of urgency to name the two starters behind Bauer, Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler because there could still be an injury or someone could test positive for COVID-19.

“These guys know what potentially could happen,” Roberts said. “To give somebody certainty and then it just changes, then I think to walk that back isn’t beneficial.”

Pitchers who rake

Going into Thursday's game, Price, who is 4-for-50 at the plate in his career, hadn’t swung a bat since April 6, 2019, when he was a member of the Red Sox. But the moment was worth the wait, as he laced a single off Arizona right-hander Merrill Kelly.

The Dodgers gave him a standing ovation once the ball dropped in the outfield.

“That was by far my best hit in the big leagues, I don't care if it came in Spring Training,” Price said. “That was cool. And to do it off a friend in Merrill Kelly, it makes it a little bit more special.”

Dodgers pitchers are now 2-for-3 this spring after Kershaw recorded a single in his first at-bat of the spring.