Dodgers home opener and ring ceremony dampened by Cody Bellinger injury news

Los Angeles Dodgers fans will have to wait to officially see Mookie Betts play a game in front of a crowd at Dodger Stadium.

They’ll also have to wait a little while to see Cody Bellinger get back on the field in 2021.

Friday was supposed to be (and still mostly is) a glorious day for the Dodgers. They’re unveiling new gold jerseys and will be receiving their World Series rings after their championship season in 2020.

But their lineup for the home opener is missing arguably their two best players.

Betts is day-to-day with a back injury and Chris Taylor will lead off for the second straight game.

Even worse? Bellinger was placed on the injured list with a calf injury sustained on Monday. There was some back and forth in regard to whether this would happen, and…here we are.

Dodgers star Cody Bellinger has hit the IL (calf injury).

Bellinger was cleated in the ninth inning of Monday’s win over the Athletics and it was initially believed he’d be day to day. Tests revealed no structural damage and the pain was considered “soreness.”

But that pain lingered into the week and now the Dodgers have made the decision to play it safe, and Belli will be out until (at the very least) the middle of next week.

They’re also being cautious with Betts, who was considered a game-time decision earlier on Friday before the official announcement.

But that’s not all. Shortly before both of these more momentous bits of news were revealed to fans, manager Dave Roberts also said there was no timetable for relievers Joe Kelly and Brusdar Graterol to return. Neither of those guys threw in spring training, either.

That’s not the greatest of news for the bullpen, and though the unit isn’t exactly running low on arms, it’s never easy to start the year without a few guys who can handle high-leverage innings. Their presence on Wednesday could’ve avoided an early back-to-back for Kenley Jansen, who blew the save.

Shall we pile on the bad news? Trevor Bauer is also being investigated by MLB for some “suspicious” baseballs and Roberts believes his pitcher is being “singled out.”

Alright, that’s it. What we can look forward to is the Dodgers’ formidable depth being tested early on in a campaign in which they’re trying to repeat as World Series champs. That means more reps for Chris Taylor, AJ Pollock and Zach McKinstry, all of whom will be relied upon to come through down the stretch in October.

The Dodgers are always up for the task, aren’t they? At least that’s one thing fans don’t need to worry about.

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