Mookie Betts he was hit on the left by a Dan Altavilla fastball today, causing Betts to immediately fall to the ground in pain and leave the field. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times) after the game that Betts had broken a bone in his hand and would not play “for a certain period of time,” though the former AL MVP won’t need surgery.
More will be known about Bett’s condition and potential recovery timeline in the coming days, but this is undoubtedly a big blow for the Dodgers. As with any wrist or hand-related injury, there are many potential side effects even after a player has been officially cleared for action, given how any changes in grip or hand position at the bat can alter the swing. The first order of business for Betts and the Dodgers is to manage this injury and recover as much as possible, though the concern won’t end until Betts is back on the field and showing his usual stellar form at the plate.
Going into today’s game, Betts was hitting .307/.407/.493 with 10 homers in a league-leading 327 plate appearances, adding 16 doubles and nine stolen bases (in 10 attempts) to those numbers. amazing. In addition to his often excellent offensive output, Betts has been playing a key defensive role for the Dodgers as their everyday shortstop, a role that Betts embraced during Spring Training in the backfield. Gavin Lux he was displaced. While the defensive metrics have been mixed at best for Betts’ career, the mere fact that Betts was willing to switch positions and at least handled the shortstop role well only added to his value on the LA roster.
The Dodgers were still expected to pursue middle relief at the deadline, both because Lux didn’t hit much, and potentially speed up Betts’ return to second base if a new everyday shortstop is found. Today’s development likely makes it even more likely that Los Angeles will look to add a shortstop regardless of how much time Betts misses, though it remains to be seen whether the Dodgers are now looking to make a trade sooner rather than later. The team will want to first get access to Betts’ health, of course, and teams with available outfield depth may suddenly raise their asking prices if they see that the Dodgers are desperate in any way.
In the short term, Roberts said that Miguel Vargas backup will be called in from Triple-A to rejoin the internal mix. Miguel Rojas you’ll get plenty of regular shortstop work, with Enrique Hernandez and includes both shortstop and third base. Max Muncy He is still suffering from chronic injuries and Roberts said today that Muncy’s recovery has been “slower than expected,” so it’s anyone’s guess when the third baseman might be able to help the Dodgers’ suddenly depleted infield. Cavan Biggio was recently acquired from the Blue Jays to add depth to the mix, so Betts’ absence will open up more playing time for Bigio at second or third base.
Rojas has long been a very good defender, and has been incredibly productive at the dish with a .278 / .328 / .444 slash line over 116 PA this season. His 122 wRC+ would be the second-best mark of his 11-year MLB career, though it’s obviously reasonable to expect Rojas to keep this up for a long time, because he doesn’t make much heavy contact at the plate.
Even though the Dodgers are loaded with big bats, Betts’ loss also underscores the club’s tough nature. bet, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Will Smithagain Teoscar Hernandez all have been playing and Muncy was hitting well before the injury, but Lux, Enrique Hernandez, and Chris Taylor it was all ice cold, when James Outman was struggling so much that Los Angeles optioned the outfielder to Triple-A.
With a 44-29 record, the Dodgers have arguably built up enough of a cushion to withstand losing Betts for a short period of time, as there doesn’t appear to be any danger of Los Angeles dropping out of the playoff race. However, it cannot be overlooked that the Dodgers are now without Betts, Muncy, and more than enough starting pitchers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto again Michael Grove joining a long list of injured pitchers earlier today. The Dodgers have been able to resist and succeed despite serious injuries in previous seasons, however if this lost staff is enough to get the Dodgers out of the first round of the postseason bye, it will give the team an even more difficult path to the World Series title.
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