Mookie Betts Hits Soreness Setback After On-Field Batting Practice

Mookie Betts hit a setback in his recovery from an oblique injury after soreness returned when he started taking batting practice on the field. The Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop had been moving forward after weeks on the injured list, but the soreness forced the club to slow his program again.

Betts and the Dodgers

Betts said he has “turned a corner,” and he is ready for on-field batting practice once again. He first injured the oblique earlier in April and exited the Dodgers’ eighth game of the season against the Washington Nationals after straining it.

He began swinging the bat again last week, then felt soreness a couple of days later when he tried batting practice on the field. The Dodgers backed off after that, keeping the recovery process in a holding pattern rather than pushing him toward the next step too quickly.

Hyeseong Kim and Miguel Rojas

That delay keeps the Dodgers leaning on Hyeseong Kim and Miguel Rojas at shortstop. Kim has handled most of the month in a platoon with Rojas, and the two have split the work while Betts remains out.

Kim is batting.283 through 20 games with a.754 OPS, one home run, seven RBIs and five stolen bases. Rojas has supplied a.349 average, a.871 OPS through 18 games and a.500 slugging percentage this month. Betts, before landing on the injured list, was at.179/.281/.429 with a.710 OPS, two home runs and seven RBIs through the first eight games of the season.

May 1-3 Window

Dave Roberts said Betts could play in a minor league game as soon as the weekend of May 1-3. The Dodgers played the Miami Marlins on Wednesday at 12:10 p.m. PT without him, and the shortstop rotation stays in place until Betts can handle another round of field batting practice without the soreness returning.