After missing the final game of last weekend’s series with the Colorado Rockies, Mookie Betts was expected to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for Monday’s opener against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium.
Although he initially was penciled in, Betts wound up being a late scratch due to right hip irritation. He nonetheless got in the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and struck out against Giants reliever Jake McGee.
Despite the result, Betts felt fine after the game and could bat leadoff for the Dodgers on Tuesday. As such, manager Dave Roberts anticipates Betts avoiding an injured list stint.
“Absolutely. I don’t think that’s a consideration for us,” Roberts said. “Hitting is not a problem. It’s kind of the running, a lot of running.
“Obviously it’s not serious, so I expect Mookie to be in there [Tuesday]. We wanted to stay away from him, but swinging the bat, no problem. I think [Tuesday] he’ll be back in there.”
It was recently revealed that right hip irritation is among the nagging injuries Betts has dealt with this season, along with left shoulder and back trouble that sidelined him a few games in April.
Betts aggravated his hip while scoring from second base on Max Muncy’s single in Saturday’s contest against the Rockies and subsequently was removed. Prior to his exit, he went 4-for-4 with three doubles and a home run.
Over his past five games Betts is 12-for-17 with four doubles, three home runs and seven RBI. In 82 overall games this season, Betts is hitting .270/.374/.502 with 41 extra-base hits, 40 RBI and seven stolen bases.
Seager potentially returning Wednesday
In other Dodgers injury news, Corey Seager has made substantial progress and could potentially return from the IL on Wednesday. “Corey, I think took four at-bats,” Roberts said. “Looked really good, swung the bat well, ran the bases, took grounders, played catch.
“I see a potential activation sometime here in the short term. We’ll see. I don’t want to put a date. Assuming he comes out of it well, Wednesday could certainly be a possibility.”
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