It turns out that Mookie Betts is just as clumsy as one of us. The Los Angeles Dodgers' star and former MVP missed Friday's game against the New York Yankees and will likely be out for the remainder of the series after stubbing his toe at home this past Wednesday.
According to Los Angeles Times sports columnist Dylan Hernández, Betts expects to be back in a few days after fracturing his toe after banging his foot into the wall while walking around the in dark on his way to the bathroom. Whether the lightbulb in Betts' home was burned out, he just refused to turn on the light, or it was during a rotating outage, we may never know.
Thankfully the injury isn't expected to result in an IL stint; something the Dodgers can ill-afford at the moment. The team has been ravaged by injuries — mainly to their pitching staff — and losing Betts to the injured list could've been the straw that broke the camel's back.
Mookie Betts stubbed his toe, but the Dodgers still defeated the Yankees in a World Series rematch
Betts was replaced in the starting lineup by veteran infielder Miguel Rojas on Friday night. Unfortunately, he failed to makeup for Betts' absence, going 0-for-4 on the night. The Dodgers, however, didn't need Betts in the lineup on Friday night to upend the AL East-leading Yankees. Reigning NL MVP Shohei Ohtani put the Dodgers on his back and powered LA's lineup with a two-home run performance.
The Yankees took a 5-2 lead into the sixth inning on Friday night, but a four-run outburst in the bottom half of the inning, jumpstarted by Ohtani's home run, helped the Dodgers avoid a letdown in Game 1 of the three-game series. The Dodgers won the game by a final of 8-5.
The Dodgers may need more from Rojas on Saturday and Sunday if they hope to win the series against the Yankees. It's also possible that Dodgers fans will see Tommy Edman or Kiké Hernandez grab a start at shortstop over the next two days.
Dodgers fans are hopeful Betts' timeline is accurate. With a four-game series against Juan Soto and the New York Mets looming next week, the Dodgers can't afford to be without their starting shortstop for very long.