It’s been a difficult few weeks for Los Angeles Dodgers player Mookie Betts, who’s been struggling with an unidentified stomach illness that kept him from the team’s season-opening games in the Tokyo Series.
According to the MLB, Betts was axed from the original lineup for Sunday’s Freeway Series exhibition, which saw the Dodgers beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-1.
Read on for everything we know about Betts’ health struggles.
He’s lost almost 20 pounds since spring training
Though Betts’ diagnosis is unclear, the outfielder says he has been unable to eat solid food for almost two weeks. He recalled first noticing symptoms leading up to the Dodgers’ Cactus League final game on March 11. While in Tokyo, he received an IV, and since then, he’s been able to keep down liquids, but other foods have taken a toll on his stomach. The Los Angeles Times reported that his newfound diet restraints had dropped his weight from 175 to 157 pounds since spring training.
“I mean, I feel great,” Betts said, per the MLB. “Like, my body feels great. I’ve been able to work out. I’ve been able to do pretty much everything but eat, which is strange. So the symptoms have kind of gone away, I just have to figure out how to get my stomach to kind of calm down.”
Betts, who described his body as “kind of eating itself,” according to the Los Angeles Times, said he’s had blood work done, and all vital tests have come back clean. He also shared that he’s taking new medication. Betts shared that if his issues persist, he’ll pursue other tests to figure out what’s going on.
Betts is expected to sit out Monday’s game at Angel Stadium against the Angels. And he’ll unlikely play Thursday’s match against the Detroit Tigers.
“It’s just hard to fathom not eating and going to play a game,” he said. “So it looks like I’m just going to be light for a little bit. Maybe I play uphill a little bit for the beginning of the season. But no, I just want to play, man. I’m tired of sitting, tired of throwing up, tired of doing all this. I really just want to play.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, Betts hasn’t previously had stomach issues.
Betts wants to get back on the field
With MLB Opening Day right around the corner on Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported that Betts wants to surmount his stomach issues and get back on the field, but not if returning too soon hinders the team’s performance, which won its two Tokyo Series games without him, or increases his health risk.
“You’re already playing uphill,” Betts said. “I weigh 157 pounds, and that’s way underweight. … I’m not saying I don’t want to do it. Sure, if that’s what it takes, but does it logically make sense? And that’s the question we really need to answer.”