Mookie Betts was given a night off Saturday and back in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for the series finale against the San Francisco Giants, but only for a couple hours before being scratched due to left shoulder soreness.
“Mookie has been getting some treatment on his left shoulder,” manager Dave Roberts revealed after the Dodgers completed a series sweep at Oracle Park. “Took swings this morning, tried to loosen up and get ready for the game, it just flared up and didn’t feel good. It hurt.
“So for me, I just felt with the off day coming, it just made sense to pivot and get DJ (Peters) in there for the defense. Give Mookie an extra day to hopefully be back in there on Tuesday.”
When asked for additional details on Betts’ shoulder trouble, Roberts said he began receiving treatment on it this past week. The ailment adds to minor injury woes Betts has dealt with this season.
He missed four games over a week’s time in April due to lower back stiffness that Betts recently acknowledged likely had some impact on his play. He also dealt with bruising and soreness after being hit by a pitch on the inside of the right forearm.
Roberts admitted the back and shoulder trouble can be blamed to a certain extent for Betts’ inconsistency at the plate. “Mookie is never going to use ailments or things as an excuse,” Roberts added.
“He’s a guy that prides himself on playing every day. But when you’re talking about the swing and performing consistently, you’re talking about the back and front shoulder, that certainly impacts.
“I just don’t know to the degree that it’s affected performance, but I know he would never use that as an excuse.”
With the Dodgers not playing until beginning a two-game series with the Houston Astros on Tuesday, Betts will have had three days of rest and treatment on his left shoulder before potentially returning to the Dodgers’ lineup.
Lux fills in for Betts
The Dodgers’ updated lineup moved Gavin Lux to the leadoff spot in Betts’ absence, and he turned in a strong performance as he went 2-for-5 with a second career grand slam in the win over the Giants.
“I think even when we’re not at full strength we have a lot of really, really, really good players,” Lux said.
“Our starting pitching has been unbelievable as well, our bullpen has been really good and our at-bats have been super competitive up and down the lineup. I think it’s no secret we have a lot of depth and we’re all kind of rolling right now.
“I think we just went through a funky stretch there where we all kind of slumped. Now, obviously, we’re picking back up where we left off earlier in the year. Hitting is contagious and keeps rolling on to the next guy.”
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