Mookie Betts' update on his status might put Dodgers Opening Day in jeopardy

The Dodgers dominated the Cubs easily during the Tokyo Series, winning both games and outscoring Chicago by six runs. However, there were two glaring absences from LA's lineup: Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

Freeman was dealing with some discomfort in his ribs, in the same location as the injury he sustained last year, but Dave Roberts said he wasn't too concerned and Freeman returned to the lineup in the opener of the annual Freeway Series in the lead-up to stateside Opening Day.

Betts, who was kept out of the Tokyo Series because of a stomach virus, was also in the initial lineup for the opener but was scratched at the last minute. It immediately threw up red flags and implied that he hadn't quite shaken his illness yet.

After the game, Betts said that he hasn't been diagnosed with anything, but he hasn't been able to keep food down for over a week and has lost around 20 pounds as a result.

"I just want to play. I'm tired of sitting, tired of just throwing up, tired of doing all this. I just really want to play. ... My body's just kind of eating itself. It's hard to not fuel it. And so every time — literally, every time — I fuel my body, I throw up. ... I don't know what to do," he said.

Mookie Betts says he hasn't been able to keep food down since before the Tokyo Series, may miss Dodgers' Opening Day

"My body's just kind of eating itself" is an incredibly worrying sentiment, and it's even worse that no one seems to know what's going on. It feels safe to assume that the Dodgers are doing whatever they can to diagnose an issue and treat it accordingly, but it's incredibly troubling that they haven't been able to find a root cause to treat.

The Dodgers open their season in the States on Thursday against the Tigers, but Betts' presence in the lineup is no longer a foregone conclusion. He added that he's worried about the weight loss and will take his time to returning accordingly: "I'm not saying I don't want to [play through it]. Sure, if that's what it takes, but does it logically make sense? And that's the question we really need to answer."

Hopefully, both Betts and the Dodgers will have more answers soon. Everyone wants to see him back on the field, but his health is the main priority here.