MLBbro Mookie Betts was supposed to be in the starting lineup and play shortstop on Thursday when the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers took on the Detroit Tigers at Dodger Stadium in LA.
Betts – who had been sidelined for a few weeks with a mysterious illness that caused him to lose nearly 20 pounds – passed a major test on Tuesday to make his Opening Day start possible. In the final exhibition game Tuesday night, Betts hit second against the Los Angeles Angels in the Freeway Series and went 0-for-3 with two putouts.
It was Betts’ first appearance since March 9 against the Athletics. Before Tuesday’s matchup in Anaheim, Betts was dealing with an undisclosed stomach ailment, and the Dodgers were wondering if he would play in the team’s second Opening Day of the season. He missed the first two games of the regular season in Tokyo, Japan against the Chicago Cubs because he was under the weather. He was able to get two liters of IV while in the country, but he remained shelved for the series.
Betts said he started feeling under the weather on March 11 when he was unable to play against the Cleveland Guardians. Then he took the plane ride to Tokyo and he felt worse.
VIDEO: What’s ailing LA Dodgers SS Mookie Betts remains a mystery
Mookie Betts Stomach Illness Made His Opening Day Start At Shortstop Uncertain
“I got on the plane. I thought I would give myself a couple of days [to get better]. The plane ride was brutal. That’s one of the worst plane rides I ever had,” Betts said to a group of reporters on Monday, including MLBbro.com. “I got there and I had one workout in. That was a really bad trip. … I came back and had another bad plane ride.”
Betts, 32, lost over 20 pounds while he was on the mend. It wasn’t until Monday that he started to feel like himself. In fact, Betts was able to workout that day without any problems. Betts seemed perplexed as to why he lost so much weight. Even the team doctors couldn’t tell him what was wrong with him. According to Betts, the blood test he took came back clean. The only thing he could drink was smoothies, but if he ate solid food, he would vomit.
“You weigh yourself and your’e 150 pounds. Before I left for Spring Training, I was 175,” Betts said. “I guess something in my stomach is really aggravated, so it’s hard to not eat. You can’t come to work and not eat. You know how I am – practicing all day and my body is kind of eating itself. It’s hard to not feel it. Literally, everytime I feel my body, I don’t know what to do about it.”
Mookie Betts Will Start On Opening Day
Betts – who batted .289 with 19 HRs and 75 RBI last season – acknowledged his stomach ailment was more frustrating than dealing with the fractured left hand that kept him off the field last year from June 17 to Aug. 12.
“[The hand] was pretty straight forward. You just had to rest and let it do its thing,” Betts said. “But [stomach ailment] is so touchy. You think you feel good. I don’t know what’s going on with my stomach. I feel good. Everytime I eat something, it comes right out. I have to figure out a way … and go at 150 pounds.”
Nonetheless, Betts was able to overcome his illness just in the nick of time to open the season at home.
