Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Mookie Betts is expected to miss six to eight weeks due to a broken left hand suffered in Sunday’s 3-0 win over the Kansas City Royals.
Manager Dave Roberts told reporters postgame that Betts is not expected to need surgery, but will be sidelined “for a while.” On Monday, Roberts clarified Betts’ timeline.
Mookie Betts will be in a splint and will be inactive for the next two weeks.
Dodgers’ Dave Roberts said Betts will likely be out six to eight weeks. pic.twitter.com/rTtdHMZN23
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) June 17, 2024
“The plan is for him to just get fitted for a splint,” Roberts told reporters. “There will be a few weeks of inactivity with that hand, is my guess. Just get the healing process back and do everything you can to keep his body in shape.
“It’ll take six to eight weeks, something like that.”
The injury occurred when Los Angeles was leading 3-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning. With one man on and a 1-2 count, Royals reliever Dan Altavilla threw in a 98 mph fastball that hit Betts on his left hand. Betts immediately fell to the ground and held his hand in pain before leaving the match.
Miguel Rojas took first base for Betts and replaced him on defense at shortstop. Altavilla lined up Shohei Ohtani to end the inning, but the Dodgers went on to the 3–0 win.
Of greater importance than the outcome in Los Angeles was Betts’ health. Betts, a former MVP with the Boston Red Sox, is a seven-time All-Star. He was an All-Star in each of his three previous seasons with the Dodgers, and he was on track for another All-Star bid on Sunday, slashing .307/.407/.493 with 10 home runs, 40 RBI and nine stolen bases through 71 games.
The Dodgers also entered Sunday with significant injury news, putting rookie starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the injured list. Roberts revealed after the game on Sunday that Yamamoto has a strained rotator cuff and will be sidelined for “some time.”
