NEW YORK — Ever since he was a kid watching his father Clay play for the Yankees in the early 2000s, Cody Bellinger visualized himself in Pinstripes someday. That thought never left him, even after his career whisked him far away from the Bronx.

The Yankees slugger got off to a slow start, hitting .196 with three home runs and 16 RBI in those 29 games. His .614 OPS ranked last among qualifying Yankee hitters. But Bellinger has been on a tear ever since.

This is the Cody Bellinger the Yankees envisioned when he became one of the centerpieces of their post-Juan Soto pivot.