Mookie Betts Shares Update on His Injury and Return Timeline

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Remains Hopeful Amid Injury Recovery

TORONTO — Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts spoke positively about his recovery from a right oblique strain during a recent visit to the Rogers Centre. However, neither he nor manager Dave Roberts could provide a timeline for his return.

“I want to get back as quickly as possible,” Betts said. “But I know I need to be smart with obliques. They can linger, so I have to be careful. I’m eager to play again.”

Currently, Betts is limited in his activities, suspending hitting and throwing, but he indicated that he does not feel significant discomfort from the injury. He described it as “much less severe” than the left oblique strain he experienced during his 2018 MVP season, which kept him sidelined for about two weeks after it occurred while he was swinging in the batting cage.

This time, confusion surrounds the specifics of how the injury happened. Betts mentioned it occurred while running the bases after Freddie Freeman’s two-run double in the first inning against the Washington Nationals on Saturday. He insisted that it was not a result of a check swing.

“It was a perfectly normal day,” he explained, adding, “I prepared. I’ve been doing everything right, so I don’t know where it came from, other than it feels like God sent me a message.”

Despite Betts’s view, Roberts suggested that the injury might have originated during the check swing, as oblique strains are less typical during base running.

“The fact that there’s no singular point where it originated is a positive sign,” Roberts said. “We’re hopeful for a quick recovery.”