Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Mookie Betts is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a broken left hand suffered in Sunday’s 3-0 win over the Kansas City Royals.
Manager Dave Roberts told reporters postgame statement that Betts is not expected to require surgery but will be sidelined “for some time.” On Monday, Roberts clarified Betts’ timeline.
Mookie Betts will receive a splint and be inactive for a week or two.
Dave Roberts of the Dodgers said Betts could likely be out 6-8 weeks. pic.twitter.com/rTtdHMZN23
-Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) June 17, 2024
“The plan is for him to just get a splint,” Roberts told reporters. “There’s going to be a few weeks of downtime with that hand, I suppose. Just get the healing process back on track and do everything you can to keep your body in shape.
“It will be 6 to 8 weeks, something like that.”
The injury occurred with Los Angeles leading 3-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning. Down one man and with a 1-2 count, Royals reliever Dan Altavilla threw a 90 mph fastball that hit Betts in his left hand. Betts immediately fell to the ground and held his hand in pain before exiting the game.
Miguel Rojas took over first base for Betts and replaced him on defense at shortstop. Altavilla induced a lineout from Shohei Ohtani to end the inning, but the Dodgers won 3-0.
More concerning than the result in Los Angeles was Betts’ health. A former MVP of the Boston Red Sox, Betts is a seven-time All-Star. He was an All-Star in each of the previous three seasons with the Dodgers. Betts entered Sunday on track for another All-Star bid, slashing .307/.407/.493 with 10 home runs, 40 RBI and nine stolen bases in 71 games.
The Dodgers began Sunday with significant injury news, placing rookie pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the injured list. Roberts revealed postgame Sunday that Yamamoto has a rotator cuff strain and will be sidelined for “some time.”
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