The Los Angeles faced a tough decision on Mookie Betts to open the regular season of Major League Baseball ahead of Tuesday’s 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
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After the Shortstop began, after suffering through a trip to Japan with a private illness, the chose to send him home on Monday.
“Mookie arrived safely late in the afternoon and in the evening yesterday,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “It makes most sense to him for him to go back to his normal routine.
The reason he’s sending him home has to do with the weight Betts lost last week. Manager Dave Roberts said his infielder lost “nearly 15 pounds” due to illness.
Betts’ health has become a priority. Betts, leaving camp for just 175 pounds, didn’t approach his best 15 pound lighter.
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“The problem is, when you lose a lot of weight, when you’re dehydrated, it opens up people up to soft tissue injuries,” Roberts said Monday. “We care very much about that.
Betts developed symptoms the day before the left for Tokyo, but he still traveled thinking it would become a fast bug and make him feel better in a day or two. He went through a workout on Sunday before one of the team’s exhibit games, but he was visibly tired, so the ruled out him throughout the two-game series.
Instead, the began Miguel Rojas on a short stop, rearranging the batting orders and shifting Tommy Edman into two holes.
Rojas went 4-1, Edman was 1-5, and the run was hit.
Betts is expected to participate in the ‘ first day in the country on March 27th in the starting lineup with the Detroit Tigers at Stadium.
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Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Immagn Image
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