By Valentina Martinez is a Newsweek contributor based in Los Angeles. Her focus is reporting on sports, with an expertise in baseball. She has in depth knowledge of the Los Angeles sports community and has covered professional sports extensively. Valentina joined Newsweek in 2024 and had previously worked at The Chargers Wire. She is a graduate of Arizona State University. You can get in touch with Valentina by emailing v.martinez@newsweek.com. You can find her on X @ValentinaMrtnz_ Languages: English, Spanish.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers could be without starting shortstop Mookie Betts for the start of the 2025 season. Betts is battling an ongoing illness that has aggravated his stomach for the past few weeks.
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On Sunday, Betts was scratched from the lineup because he had to vomit once again. The 32-year-old has not been able to hold any solid food down and has lost a concerning amount of weight since becoming ill.
Betts was visibly frustrated when discussing the ailment that has sidelined him since the Dodgers were in Arizona.
"It is what it is," he said. "Every time I eat something, it comes right out."
The Dodgers superstar admitted his spot on the Opening Day roster is in jeopardy, an indication he could be out for some time until he fully recovers.
"That's a rough question just because you go out there and you go play four innings and then put your team at a deficit at that point," Betts said when asked if he thinks he will be ready to play Thursday. "You don't really want to do that. And then you put yourself at a deficit. You're already playing uphill anyway."
Manager Dave Roberts said he's not worried about Betts missing a long period of time, but there is no guarantee he will be ready for Thursday's home opener against the Detroit Tigers.
"I don't think long-term, I'm not too concerned," Roberts said. "He's not going to play tomorrow. As for the home opener, we'll just take it day by day.
"The recovery hasn't gone great."
The injured list now appears to be a feasible short-term solution for Betts as he takes time to fully recover and regain a sufficient amount of weight.
"You're already playing uphill," Betts said. "I weigh 157 pounds, and that's way underweight."
Betts arrived at spring camp weighing 175 pounds and has evidently lost a significant amount in a short amount of time.
The Dodgers superstar has not played since Cactus League and missed the Tokyo Series because of the illness. He even flew home early from Japan in order to recover.
Doctors have not been able to diagnose the cause of Betts' stomach aggravation, and the ambiguity of the stomach ailment has pointed to the infielder starting the season on the injured list.
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