Mookie Betts provides optimistic update after ominous move to Dodgers' IL

Mookie Betts took his first trip to the IL since summer 2024 on Sunday, ahead of the Dodgers' series against the Blue Jays. What was initially thought of as back tightness turned out to be something far more ominous: an oblique strain.

Dave Roberts said he would "take the under" on a 4-6 week timeline, but we all know that Roberts isn't the guy to trust when it comes to these things. He added that he could be wrong; oblique strains are tricky.

The Dodgers cruised through their first two games without Betts easily, demolishing them 14-2 in the opener. Both Hyeseong Kim, who was called up in Betts' absence, and Alex Freeland, who started all three games during the Toronto series, have been holding the fort well.

It seemed like it might be a while until we heard updates on Betts — it wouldn't have been surprising if the Dodgers shut him down entirely for a little while — but he was on the field doing some light drills ahead of LA's second game.

Fabian Ardaya reported that Betts was feeling "light years ahead" despite only being officially diagnosed with the oblique injury two days prior.

Mookie Betts feels "light years ahead" after going onto Dodgers' IL with oblique injury

Of course, there may be setbacks along the way, which we'll always be sensitive to when it comes to the Dodgers. How many times have we heard a positive update only for a player to be moved to the 60-day IL shortly after?

The Dodgers have no need to rush Betts anyway, and they're sometimes overcautious when it comes to handling their injured players.

While the Dodgers will always a better team when Betts is in the fold and no doubt he wants to get back onto the field as soon as possible, Kim and Freeland will get a nice little runway in his absence. Kim is 3-for-7 with two walks during this series and has already made a couple of great defensive plays. Freeland went 4-for-4 with an extra-base hit and an RBI on Tuesday.

But still, it's nice to hear that Betts is feeling optimistic, and again, updates are perhaps more reassuring coming from the player directly than Roberts. While fans would love to see him back sooner rather than later, the Dodgers are going to handle this carefully and, of course, have some pretty good contingency plans in place.