Dodgers: Mookie Betts out of lineup after HBP is cause for concern

Update: Dodgers star Mookie Betts’ X-Rays came back negative. He won’t start Tuesday while the issue is still hurting, but remains day-to-day.

Massive news for nervous Dodgers fans.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers might be 13-3, but it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for the reigning World Series champs at the onset of 2021.

Their bullpen is far from at full strength and there have been a few too many injuries to stomach after just under three weeks of action.

Mookie Betts has been among the wounded. He missed the team’s home-opening series against the Washington Nationals due to a back issue.

Now, he’s out of the lineup on Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners after he was hit in the forearm with a pitch in the ninth inning of Monday night’s game.

Dodgers OF Mookie Betts is missing Tuesday’s game after being hit by a pitch.

Should fans be full-on panicking? Not entirely. Betts remained in the game for the final two outs after he was struck.

However, getting cranked by a 94 MPH on your forearm isn’t exactly something to scoff at. Look at what happened to Cody Bellinger.

Initial tests revealed a calf strain before further evaluation discovered a hairline fracture. He’s now on the injured list and doesn’t have a definitive timetable for return.

By no means is that the case with Betts, but a back injury and now a potentially concerning forearm injury is not the kind of stress Dodgers fans need in April.

The silver lining here is that the team has managed to get by without their best players. The starting rotation keeps the Dodgers in every game and there’s always someone in the lineup ready to deliver a worthwhile offensive performance when there’s an injury or off day. Remember, LA swept the Nats without Betts and Bellinger.

But it is annoying that this comes right before the team’s next series against the San Diego Padres, which will run Thursday-Sunday. The Dodgers just captured the weekend series against the Pads at Petco Park, but will need to keep the momentum heading into the upcoming bout at Dodger Stadium.

It’d be nice to have Betts out there snagging game-ending catches to break the Padres’ soul as LA looks to set the tone with their division rival at the onset of 2021.

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