Mookie Betts was back in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup on Tuesday, after sitting out four games with a fractured toe. He was slotted into his usual two-hole and shortstop for the Dodgers’ game against the New York Mets.
Betts broke his toe last Wednesday, reportedly by banging it against a wall while trying to make his way to the bathroom in the dark. While still dealing with the fracture, the injury is minor enough that he’s able to play less than a week later, as he said last week the main issue is simply pain management.
While he missed more than his predicted two games, he did successfully avoid the 10-day injured list.
Cameras caught Betts trying out some running with his bad toe on Monday.
The Dodgers went 2-2 in their games without Betts, taking two out of three against the New York Yankees — one win via comeback, the other via unholy beatdown — before losing their series opener to the New York Mets on Tuesday.
Mookie Betts will be playing through the pain for a while. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
(Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Betts is in his second season attempting to stick as the Dodgers’ full-time shortstop. Last season saw him struggle with errors before missing nearly two months with a fractured hand and reverting to right field upon his return. This season has been going better, with several advanced metrics rating him as a plus at one of baseball’s more difficult position.
That defensive value has helped offset a step back from Betts offensively so far this season. All three numbers of his .254/.338/.405 represent career lows, and his batted ball data indicates that’s not just a run of bad luck.
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