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The Los Angeles Dodgers have dealt with more than their fair share of struggles on the field as of late, but Mookie Betts has been facing an even greater struggle off of it.
Betts was conspicuously absent from the Dodgers' starting lineup due to "a family matter" on Friday and Saturday against his former team, the Boston Red Sox, before returning Sunday for the series finale (a 4-3 Red Sox win). He addressed his recent absence with the media after Sunday's game, in which he went 1-for-4 with a single in the third inning that drove in a run for the Dodgers.
“My stepdad passed," Betts told reporters, including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. I needed to go home, be with my mom. It’s somebody who’s been in my life from fourth grade until now. So that was tough for me and the fam. I just needed to be there for my mom, my brothers and sisters.”
After flying to Tennessee to be with his family, Betts flew back to Boston by himself on Saturday and appeared as a pinch hitter in the game, striking out in his lone at-bat.
Mookie Betts reveals depressing reason behind latest Dodgers absence amid career-worst slump at the plate
Betts' unimaginable loss comes amid an incredibly difficult year that has seen him go from one of baseball's most consistent performers to a below-average hitter hitting a career-worst .240/.313/.372 on the season with 11 home runs and 45 RBI.
Betts' bat showed signs of life in the Dodgers' series opener against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, however, when he went 2-for-4 with a double and three runs scored. He – and the Dodgers – will hope he can build momentum from that performance moving forward.
While the Dodgers remain in first place in the National League West, Betts' career-worst slump is one of several problems plaguing the club this season. A slew of pitching injuries has left them scrambling for reinforcements at the trade deadline, and they desperately need their offensive weapons to be firing on all cylinders – including Betts.
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