Later this week, the Los Angeles Dodgers will start their quest to repeat as World Series Champions as they take the field in the season opener against the Detroit Tigers. But unfortunately, they may be doing so without the services of one of their star players, Mookie Betts.
Over the past two weeks, Betts has been dealing with an unknown condition that has limited his ability to intake food. Speaking with reporters on Sunday, Betts outlined how he has actually lost 23 pounds due to this health problem, which started before the Dodgers’ recent trip to Tokyo for their games against the Chicago Cubs.
“Two days before Tokyo,” said Betts, on when the health scare started. “Got on the plane, I thought I would give myself at least a couple days to heal. The plane ride was brutal. One of the worst plane rides I have ever had. I got there and got one workout in. That was a really bad trip to Tokyo. So I came back and another bad plane ride. It hasn’t been anything really encouraging, but it is what it is.”
As a result of this illness, Betts was scratched from the lineup for the Dodgers against the Los Angeles Angels, which could be a sign of things to come should his condition not improve between now and Opening Day on Thursday.
Baseball aside, hopefully Betts can get this health condition under control. Losing 23 pounds due to illness in such a short span of time is obviously concerning for anyone, regardless of his status as a professional athlete.
As far as how this condition could affect his on-field performance, it certainly seems as if it could affect him a great deal. Simply put, Betts’ weight sitting at 157 pounds in the MLB is obviously a concern as to how much he can do physically on the field, even if physicality isn’t exactly a trademark in baseball.
Only time will tell when Betts will be feeling back to normal. But considering how impactful he has been to the Dodgers over the years, it’s obviously incredibly concerning to see him going through this so close to the start of the 2025 MLB season.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.