MLBbro Mookie Betts Is No Mere Mortal | He Continues To Grind Through Injuries & Inconsistency

MLBbro Mookie Betts Is No Mere Mortal | He Continues To Grind Through Injuries & Inconsistency

by | Aug 12, 2021 | THE LEAD OFF

The 2021 season for Major League Baseball superstar Mookie Betts has been full of highs and lows as he was placed on the Injured List retroactive to August 8 after suffering a right hip injury last week, a re-aggravation that initially took place over the previous two weeks of July. 

His numbers didn’t indicate him slowing down as he’s averaging .381 with four RBI and three home runs in his last 21 at bats. 

 

 

Although sensational, the injury bug continues to swarm the star right fielder. Reports indicate that the Los Angeles Dodgers (on the road in Philadelphia) have sent Betts back to Los Angeles to meet with team doctors as they will be placing him on the IL today.

Manager Dave Roberts told reporters Wednesday afternoon, “We’re going to have some more experts chime in to try to figure this thing out.”

Roberts told the media Tuesday, “Yesterday, the off day, he came in just achy, sore. Basically, can’t play right now. I don’t know what other test we may do but envisioning an IL move is very probable.”

 

 

The Los Angeles Dodgers have managed Betts thus far as he continues to battle for his rightful spot as one of the best players in the game. Sources close to the situation specify that the team may rest him until the start of the postseason.

Roberts told USA Today. “I think it’s something that as we look at, we are probably going to have to manage it a lot. Ideally, we would not. Our reality is it’s something that’s not going to go away.”

He continued, “Mookie is doing what he can to give us innings out there defensively, give us at-bats… so we’ve just got to manage him. Fortunately, we’ve got a lot of good players that can help support.”

His hip diagnosis became knowledgeable to the media when Roberts removed Betts from the lineup during the team’s first series after the Midsummer Classic vs. the Colorado Rockies.

Betts dodged the All-Star game for a bit of rest & relaxation as he dealt with some shoulder and back issues as well, to name a few.

Team reports indicate that Betts received a cortisone injection for what the team described as a hip pointer with inflammation that didn’t work promptly, which led to the first injury list designation.

Another way to keep Betts fresh was to play him in the infield, as fellow MLBbro Malik Wright talked about last week. The move will slow down his strides and allow him to play at a decreased pace than he would as an outfielder.

And judging from the crowd’s reaction, the move proved to be genius as Betts turned a double play.

 

 

He followed that up with an outstanding grab out in his old stomping grounds, which showed Dodger faithful that he is willing to give it his all for the team’s betterment.

 

 

In addition to playing some infield, the organization will have daily discussions with Betts to monitor his health.

Upon his return to action, the switch would be a way to ease the future Hall of Famer back into the lineup. Mookie told the press about playing second base, ” It is less running. I think you forget the run to the outfield, running on the bases; It is just a lot of running, and the amount kind of adds up. It’s a shorter run to second base, so I am just trying to take less steps.”

Betts is potentially the game’s best all-around player as he is a complete hitter who provides exceptional glove work in the field of play. Remember, he was drafted as a second baseman before he moved to right field. So, yeah, he is primarily an outfielder, but as you can see, he can excel at multiple positions.