The Los Angeles Dodgers thought they'd get Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman back for the final spring training series before Opening Day. Only one of them will play, though.
A little over an hour before first pitch against the Los Angeles Angels, the Dodgers updated their lineup for Sunday's game. Tommy Edman took over Betts' spot batting second. Miguel Rojas stepped in at shortstop while also taking Edman's spot batting eighth.
That'll make it five games missed by Betts since falling ill ahead of the Dodgers' trip to the Tokyo Series.
Updated lineup:
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 23, 2025
Ohtani DH
Edman 2B
Freeman 1B
Hernández, T. RF
Muncy 3B
Smith C
Conforto LF
Rojas SS
Pages CF
Ferris P https://t.co/WfI1legyay
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What is wrong with Mookie Betts?
The Dodgers haven't described exactly what's wrong with Betts besides the fact that he has an illness. Manager Dave Roberts provided the only insight by revealing Betts lost 15 pounds because of the ailment.
Everybody gets sick sometimes. If Betts had missed a week or so, concern would have been low. However, it's been just about two weeks since Betts was in the Dodgers' lineup. It's worrisome that he has been back from Japan for almost a week and still can't play.
It's safe to guess Betts isn't dealing with the flu. If it was COVID-19, he wouldn't have traveled to Japan. Some other type of virus may have knocked him down. Since we don't know what the illness is, we can only guess at how much longer he'll be down.
How concerned should Dodgers fans be about Mookie Betts illness?
In the long term, it doesn't seem like there's any reason to hit the panic button. In the short term, the possibility of Betts missing Opening Day has to be in play. Then there's the matter of what he's capable of when he gets back in action. He lost weight, prep time and rhythm. It might take a while for him to hit his stride.
Fortunately for the Dodgers, they're more capable of withstanding the absence of a future Hall of Famer than any other team in baseball. Freeman is back from a rib injury and the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández and Max Muncy can carry the load. Los Angeles won both games in Tokyo without Betts and Freeman after all.