Mookie Betts became the latest MLB star to join Team USA for the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Popular Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts will return to the field Tuesday night after a undiagnosed illness sidelined him beginning March 9.
Betts told reporters Sunday he lost 18 pounds over two weeks and was having trouble holding down solid food.
He traveled with the team to Japan for their exhibition series but returned earl, according to General Manager Dave Roberts.
Before Monday's 5-4 loss to the Angels, Roberts said he thought Betts had “turned a corner.''
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"I talked to him, (and he) said he feels great on his way home and expects to play (Tuesday,)'' Roberts said. “So right now, we're in a good spot.”
“I just want to play, man,” Betts told reporters last week. “I’m tired of sitting, tired of throwing up, tired of doing all this. I really just want to play.”
The eight time All-Star played 116 games through the 2024 season, batting .289 with 130 hits and 19 home runs.
Betts isn’t the only Dodger dealing with health concerns. Freddie Freeman, another franchise cornerstone, was held out of the Tokyo Series due to lingering rib discomfort. He returned to the lineup Sunday, but Roberts emphasized the team would monitor him closely moving forward.
Tuesday’s first pitch will be thrown at 6:07 p.m. at Angel Stadium in the third and final game of the spring training freeway series.
The Dodgers will play the Detroit Tigers in Chavez Ravine on opening day Thursday at 4:10 p.m.
