Cody Bellinger explains why it’s ‘not the right time’ to don Team USA uniform

TAMPA — If it were up to Mark DeRosa, Cody Bellinger might have been the fifth Yankee on Team USA in the World Baseball Classic this month.

Alas, DeRosa, the USA manager, recently said on “The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman” that he was “devastated” when Bellinger decided not to participate.

The Yankees outfielder and first baseman, who was a free agent for much of the offseason before re-signing in late January on a five-year, $162.5 million contract, indicated that the timing was just not right for him to suit up for USA.

“I would have loved it,” Bellinger said. “I’ve never repped USA on my jersey, even in high school. So it’s definitely something I really want to do at some point in my life. I think just where I’m at, I thought it was not the right time for it.”