LOS Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts is expected to miss some time after fracturing his hand.
Betts was hit by a pitch on Sunday that left him writhing in pain against the Kansas City Royals.
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Betts was immediately placed on the injured list after the game and will be out for “some time” with the injury.
He will not require surgery for his fractured hand and is expected to return at some point this season.
Betts shared his disappointment with the injury, but is trying to see the positive in it.
“I’ll be watching the boys and rooting for them,” Betts said.
“Other than that, just rest, maybe use this as a mental break and be ready to go when you get better.”
Betts was having a rough 0-3 game when he suffered the injury, but was in the midst of a spectacular season.
The Dodgers shortstop was hitting .304 with 10 home runs, 40 RBI and 50 runs scored.
He had an impressive .892 OPS and was responsible for 3.8 Wins Above Replacement.
Losing Betts leaves a hole in the Dodgers’ lineup, but superstar Shohei Ohtani said the rest of the team will strive to maintain the momentum.
“He’s obviously a very important part of the team,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.
“And if he’s out for a while, then it’s up to the rest of the team to pick him up so we can continue.”
Betts’ injury is yet another blow in a string of bad luck the Dodgers have endured.
On the same day as Betts’ injury, Japanese rookie phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto was also placed on the injured list.
Yamamoto was ruled out of the start on Saturday due to “forearm strain” and it was later revealed that he suffered a rotator cuff strain.
It was supposed to start on Thursday, but was pushed back a few days to Saturday.
He felt some tightness during the bullpen session, but the problem increased during the game.
“I had tension and I was aware of it [during the bullpen session]but it wasn’t serious at that time,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter.
“As I was pitching, it started to grow. I let the coaches know and we decided to sign me.”
He is also expected to return this season, but coach Dave Roberts gave the same vague answer with Yamamoto’s injury as with Betts’ injury. The star will miss “some time”.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
