The Los Angeles Dodgers’ loss of Mookie Betts during last Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Royals is expected to keep him sidelined for around 6-to-8 weeks.
There were several motivating factors that could have driven the Dodgers to some sort of trade for a starting shortstop before the trade deadline before Betts’ injury. One reason was for another productive hitter in the Dodgers lineup, especially if the overall offense did not show any form of improvement.
A dip in Betts’ production at the plate possibly due to spending so much time learning and getting better at his new position could have also fueled a deal. Another was in the interest preserving his health by moving him out of the physically demanding shortstop position, and finally the general struggles of Gavin Lux.
The fact that Betts will be missing a significant amount of time could increase the chances that the Dodgers do pull the trigger on a deal if the price is right.
However, the Dodgers are not ready to give up on Betts as a shortstop in the event they don’t add a starter at the position, according to Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
Neither Gomes nor Roberts eliminated the possibility of Betts returning to shortstop, where he had made impressive progress this year despite below-league-average defensive metrics. Both noted that Betts would still be able to work on his running and throwing while hurt (he sustained the injury to his glove hand), ensuring he doesn’t lose all the progress he has made in his daily pregame infield drills.
The fractured left hand completely hinders his ability to practice hitting, but the good news for him and the Dodgers is that he can still keep up a throwing program and complete other drills that don’t require the use of both hands.
He should be able to keep up his daily maintenance for the most part, which will help him get back on the field quicker once his left hand heals.
Miguel Rojas is handling the primary responsibility of replacing Betts in the meantime, with supplemental starts from Kiké Hernández.
Mookie Betts gets a splint on injured hand
Betts visited the Kerlan-Jobe Surgery Center in Los Angeles on Monday for an appointment with specialist Dr. Steven Shin to get a better idea on the severity of his injury. After the meeting he received the estimate for how long it is going to take for his hand to heal and the doctor determined that Betts’ hand needed to be fitted with a splint.
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