The Los Angeles Dodgers have hit a slight speed bump in MLB’s highly anticipated Tokyo Series. Superstar Mookie Betts is looking increasingly unlikely to take the field against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, as an illness continues to plague the six-time All-Star during the team’s trip.
Manager Dave Roberts revealed that Betts has been “really sick” since arriving in Tokyo and has been losing weight, among other flu-like symptoms.
“I think that we’re really trying to be mindful of not just Opening Day but not putting him in harm’s way,” Roberts said this weekend. “He hasn’t taken live at-bats or played in any games and not to put him in a position where he potentially could get hurt.”
While the door isn’t completely shut on Betts playing this week, Roberts made it clear that Mookie would need to bounce back strong at their next workout and show he’s got his energy back. The good news? There’s no sign right now that this illness will keep him out once the team heads back to the States for their home opener against the Detroit Tigers on March 27.
Current Infield Outlook
Losing Betts for the Tokyo Series creates a bigger lineup headache for the Dodgers than your typical injury. The team’s 31-man travel roster is thin on full-time infielders as it is, especially after Hyeseong Kim got optioned to the minors before the Japan trip. If Mookie sits, expect Tommy Edman to shift from center field back to the infield, pairing with Miguel Rojas up the middle.
This shuffle could presumably open the center field spot up to righty-hitting Andy Pages or the lefty-hitting James Outman. Pages had a solid rookie campaign last year but got squeezed out of the picture when Michael Conforto signed this winter.
Utility guys Enrique Hernandez and Chris Taylor could also slot in at second base or center field. Hernandez looks particularly likely to see action since the Cubs are starting lefties Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele in Tokyo, and Hernandez has always crushed left-handed pitching.
Starting Rotation
In rotation news, Dustin May is officially getting the nod as the fifth starter to open the season, with Tony Gonsolin headed to the injury list after tweaking his back during a weight-lifting session.
This injury settles what was shaping up as one of the biggest roster battles in camp. Both pitchers missed all last season rehabbing surgeries — Gonsolin recovering from UCL surgery and May from a flexor repair. May also had to undergo emergency esophageal surgery last summer after suffering a life-threatening throat tear while eating. His upcoming start will mark his first big league appearance in nearly two years.
May rounds out a stacked five-man rotation that features Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, and Blake Snell in the top four spots. The Japanese stars Yamamoto and Sasaki are set to take the mound for Games 1 and 2 during this week’s Tokyo Series.
May remained behind in Arizona to ramp up his preparation for the regular season as the rest of the team traveled to Japan.