Mookie Betts returned Sunday after being out of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for the first two games against the Washington Nationals due to fouling a ball off his left foot in his first at-bat against Miami Marlins starter Braxton Garrett.
Betts managed to play most of Thursday’s game without any apparent effects before being removed in the bottom of the eighth inning. He went 1-for-2 with one run scored and a pair of walks prior to coming out.
Betts left loanDepot Park on crutches and took an X-ray that came back negative. He also underwent a CT scan, which revealed the extent of his foot injury to be a bone bruise.
Betts further expanded on the injury and explained asking manager Dave Roberts to be removed from the game after the Dodgers increased their lead, via SportsNet LA:
“I just fouled off in the first inning and it was just a bruise, but it kind of progressively got worse throughout the game. So towards the end we had a big enough lead and I just asked if I could get off of it. It really blew up when I took my shoe off. The adrenaline calmed down, and the swelling and stuff kind of went to it. It just hurt really bad, but it is what it is.”
Betts was relieved that all of his tests came back negative:
“I wasn’t concerned to get the scans and all those things. The guys got to do their protocol. I just fouled a ball off my foot. That’s kind of the beginning and end of the story.”
Betts added that he did not plan to miss additional games due to his bone bruise simply for the sake of rest:
“No, no, no. We’re not doing that. It’s just a bruise. Bruises hurt, for sure, but that’s all. It’s just a bruise.”
Prior to the Dodgers receiving the CT scan results, Roberts said during an appearance on MLB Network Radio he anticipated Betts missing the entire weekend series against the Nationals and potentially return Monday.
However, Betts went through a workout on Saturday and no longer was dealing with residual soreness, which paved the way for his return in the series finale at Nationals Park.
Mookie Betts records in August
Betts earned National League Player of the Month honors for August after a torrid stretch that saw him set multiple records.
Betts became just the third player in MLB history since 1900 to have a minimum of a .450 batting average along with 50 hits and 10 home runs in a calendar month. He joined Babe Ruth (July 1923, 1924) and Lou Gehrig (June 1930).
Betts also set L.A. Dodgers franchise records with 35 runs scored and 51 total hits.
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