The Los Angeles Dodgers ended their series with the Kansas City Royals with a dominant 3-0 win, but there is not much to celebrate after ace outfielder Mookie Betts went down with an injury.
The team confirmed that the seven-time All-Star suffered a broken bone in his left hand after getting hit by a fastball while at bat.
Royals' Dan Altavilla was already giving Betts a hard time, but the Dodgers star could not escape his throws. The worst happened when Altavilla's 97.9 mph fastball hit Betts on the top of the hand.
Betts went down writhing in pain and was eventually escorted out of the game.
The 2018 American League MVP is having a stellar 2024 season, ranking fifth in the league with a .307 batting average that comes with ten home runs and 40 RBI.
Manager Dave Roberts described the injury to his key player as a "big blow."
"I feel bad for Mookie because he's having an MVP-type season," Roberts told reporters after the match.
Betts struggled in the Royals series, but the good news is that they got Shohei Ohtani, who recorded his second two-homer in the Sunday victory.
The Japanese superstar hit the ball from Brady Singer (4-4), reaching 451 feet over the center field wall with one out in the third inning.
Mookie Betts' injury timeline
Dodgers have been dealing with injury to key players since last month.
Before Betts, there was expensive signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto who was placed on the injured list before Sunday's game against the Royals due to tightness in his pitching arm.
The manager said placing Yamamoto on the IL is necessary since, as a young player in the league, he still has more baseball years to come.
"He's a guy that we're still trying to learn a lot about, and appreciate the fact that the most important time of the season is yet to come," Roberts said.
"His health is paramount. So for us to be proactive and put him on the IL seems like the smartest thing."
What about Mookie Betts?
The good news for fans is that Betts will only be gone for some time and that he will not need surgery.
"After the game, manager Dave Roberts said Betts sustained a fractured bone in his left wrist. He said Betts won't need to undergo surgery, but there was no immediate timeline for his return. Betts said he plans to be evaluated by hand specialist Steven Shin on Monday," Los Angeles Times reporter Mike DiGiovanna wrote.
Betts' replacements
Betts is a huge loss for the Dodgers, and Roberts will need his expensive roster to prove their worth.
Called up in Betts' place is veteran Miguel Rojas, who returned to the team last season after leaving them in 2014.
Rojas splits his time between second, short, and third this season. He was initially signed as a utility player, but injuries to key players led to him playing 124 games and batting .236.
Next up for the Dodgers is a four-game visit to the Colorado Rockies.
They are currently leading the National League West division with a 44-29 record and are second in the NL behind the Philadelphia Phillies.
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