Dodgers reveal timeline for Mookie Betts injury

Feb 26, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts (50) looks on prior to a spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts now has an injury recovery timeline one day after suffering a broken bone in his hand.

Betts will be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks after fracturing his left hand on Sunday, manager Dave Roberts announced. Roberts suggested Betts’ recovery would be similar to the one then-Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager went through when he suffered a similar injury in 2021.

Dave Roberts said the Dodgers are expecting Mookie Betts to miss roughly 6-8 weeks with his hand fracture

He compared it to the timeline for Corey Seager’s broken hand in 2021 (Seager missed 65 games that year)

— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) June 17, 2024

Roberts added that veteran Miguel Rojas would handle everyday shortstop duties in the interim.

This is not great news for the Dodgers, but they can take solace in the fact that the injury does not appear to be season-ending. Betts was in real agony after being drilled by a fastball on the hand, but on this timeline, he should be back in action for September. That would give him plenty of time to get healthy ahead of the playoffs. From a personal standpoint, however, this probably ruins any chances Betts had of winning MVP again.

Through 72 games, Betts had been hitting .304 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs.

The Dodgers are coming off an absolutely brutal weekend on the injury front. One wonders if they might be a bit more aggressive at the trade deadline now than they would have been otherwise.