NEW YORK — The Yankees’ season has ended, but Cody Bellinger remains one of the club’s most recognizable figures away from the diamond. His place in the Bronx is settled for now. The details of his family life have followed a far less public path.
Bellinger has spent two seasons navigating New York’s intense attention while keeping much of his home life separate from the demands of the Yankees’ schedule. His career includes an NL MVP award, a World Series title and family ties to the Yankees.
His father, Clay Bellinger, played for the Yankees during their championship years in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Cody returned the family name to pinstripes when New York acquired him from the Chicago Cubs in December 2024. His subsequent long-term contract ensured that the association would extend well beyond one season.
Off the field, Bellinger and model Chase Carter have shared major milestones with the public at selected moments. Their growing family has been part of his story since before his Yankees tenure, although much of their relationship has unfolded without the steady stream of personal announcements that surrounds other high-profile sports couples.
The couple’s approach has produced an unusual divide between what their followers can see and what has been expressly announced. A proposal was made public. Their children’s births were documented. Another possible milestone was suggested through photographs and changes to a social media profile rather than through a formal announcement.
That distinction has resurfaced as attention turns to the families surrounding baseball stars. For Yankees fans, the timing follows another October exit. Public attention has often centered on his performance, his sizable contract and his future in the lineup. This quieter chapter shows how differently the same athlete can manage questions about his profession and his family while living under the New York spotlight.
Celebrity spotlight returns to Bellinger and Carter
A new PEOPLE feature published recently placed Bellinger and Carter among eight prominent MLB couples with connections to the entertainment, modeling and sports worlds. It revisited their daughters and clues that prompted marriage speculation after their 2023 engagement.
The feature referred to Carter as Chase Bellinger Carter and traced the relationship to 2020. It noted that, in December 2023, followers saw wedding-style rings in a photograph and a change to Carter’s Instagram surname. Those details renewed interest in a personal milestone the couple had not formally announced in the account reviewed.
The public chronology is clearer on earlier events. The two made their relationship Instagram official in October 2020. Their first daughter, Caiden Carter Bellinger, was born Nov. 27, 2021. Their second daughter, Cy Carter Bellinger, arrived April 28, 2023. Bellinger proposed in Chicago in June 2023.
What Bellinger said about their shared outlook
Before the birth of their first child, Bellinger discussed why he felt prepared to start a family with Carter. Rather than focus on celebrity or baseball, he described a shared way of viewing life as the foundation of their partnership.
“We kind of see life the same, so I think that’s where it’s really going to work out,” Bellinger said in August 2021.
Carter, who grew up in the Bahamas, built her own career long before Bellinger arrived in New York. Her modeling work has included Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, where she appeared as a rookie in 2018, along with campaigns for well-known fashion and beauty labels. She also has an athletic background spanning multiple sports and distance running.
Their two public careers and limited disclosure of private milestones have kept the timeline a subject of interest.
The Yankees commitment adds another dimension
The Yankees re-signed Bellinger in January 2026 to a five-year, $162.5 million contract that includes a full no-trade provision and player opt-outs after the 2027 and 2028 seasons. He had hit .272 with 29 home runs and 98 RBIs in 2025, giving New York a productive left-handed bat and an outfielder capable of filling several positions.
His 2026 regular season brought different results. Bellinger batted .264 with 17 home runs, 73 RBIs and a .768 OPS across 132 games. He missed time on the injured list before returning Aug. 23. His production was down from his debut Yankees season, but his contract makes him a central part of New York’s roster planning.
One useful comparison illustrates the scale of the shift: Bellinger’s home run total fell by 12 from 2025 to 2026, while his batting average declined just eight points. The change reflects a sharper drop in power than in his ability to collect hits, a relevant consideration for the Yankees as they review the lineup.
His family connection to the organization dates back decades through Clay Bellinger, but Cody’s decision to remain in New York has given that connection a new chapter. The greater Yankees spotlight has not produced a more expansive public account of his home life.
A public timeline with one private chapter
For now, the most concrete new development is the renewed national attention to a relationship that dates to 2020. The recent celebrity feature revisited an engagement and a family of four, while the circumstances and date of any wedding remain outside the couple’s formal public announcements reviewed for this story.
Bellinger remains under contract with the Yankees, and Carter continues to maintain her own public profile. Their relationship has moved through parenthood, an engagement and an increasingly prominent place in New York baseball culture, even as the couple has kept some milestones to themselves.
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