Mookie Betts took momentum into the All-Star break and came out of it still swinging a hot bat but was force to leave Saturday’s game early due to right hip irritation. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed after the win it was among the nagging injuries Betts has dealt with this season.
Betts did not appear in Sunday’s loss to the Colorado Rockies but should be available with the Dodgers now beginning a homestand against the San Francisco Giants. “I don’t think we needed any tests. He got some work on it postgame and felt better,” Roberts said before the series finale at Coors Field.
“Talked to him [Sunday] morning, feels better. I’ll do my best to stay away from him but I see no reason why he won’t be back in there [Monday].”
Betts and Roberts both previously downplayed any concern over the hip trouble. Betts went so far as to say “I’m good” after the Dodgers picked up a second consecutive win against the Rockies.
“Probably for the duration of the season we’ve just got to continue to stay in contact,” Roberts said. “Obviously the training staff does a remarkable job, and Mookie’s got to be honest. We’ve got to just kind of manage it the rest of the way.”
Betts went 4-for-4 with three doubles and a home run prior to exiting with the hip injury. That gave him 12 hits in 16 at-bats, with four doubles, three home runs and seven RBI over his past four games.
Betts hit, did pilates
When explaining his decision to skip the 2021 MLB All-Star Game, Betts said it would provide him with an opportunity to rest and recover from lingering injuries — which up until this past weekend was only known to be left shoulder and back issues.
“I did some hitting, for sure,” Betts said of his time during All-Star break. “But hitting and pilates, those were the only things I did.”
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