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The honors have been given annually since 2005
to one player in each league who re-emerged on the field during
the season. The winners were selected in a vote by the 30 club
beat reporters from MLB.com.
Hendriks, 34, who announced in January that he had been
diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, returned to the field for
his third season with the White Sox on May 29 after undergoing
cancer treatment. The three-time All-Star, a native of
Australia, announced in April that he was cancer-free.
Hendriks appeared in five games for the White Sox last season,
earning two victories and one save, before returning to the
injured list in mid-June because of elbow inflammation. He
missed the rest of the season after undergoing Tommy John
surgery and became a free agent.
Hendriks entered 2023 after back-to-back All-Star seasons in
which he had 38 saves in 2021 and 37 in 2022.
In his first season with the Cubs after six years with the Los
Angeles Dodgers, Bellinger, 28, hit .307 with 26 homers, 97
RBIs, 29 doubles, 153 hits and 95 runs in 2023. The 2019 NL MVP
batted only .210 in 2022.
Also in 2023, Bellinger had a career-best 20 stolen bases for
his first season reaching the 20-homer, 20-steal level. He was
one of three players in the majors to hit at least .305 with 25
homers and 20 steals, joining NL MVP Award winner Ronald Acuna
Jr. of the Atlanta Braves and Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles
Dodgers.
Other players who received votes for Comeback Player of the Year
included Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow (10-7, 3.53 ERA)
in the American League and Philadelphia Phillies first baseman
Bryce Harper (.293 batting average, 21 homers, 72 RBIs) in the
National League.
Both players worked their way back from Tommy John surgery.
--Field Level Media
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