Latest update on Mookie Betts should still have Dodgers fans treading lightly

Mookie Betts gave Los Angeles Dodgers fans a scare on Thursday night when it was reported he was seen leaving LoanDepot Park on crutches. Betts fouled a ball off his foot against the Miami Marlins, stayed in the game, and later left in the eighth.

Once that news got out, however, even as it was accompanied with belief that the Dodgers were merely taking every precaution after Betts' X-rays came back negative, all hell broke loose. And then fans were hit with Walker Buehler being ruled out for the rest of the season. How much further can the pitching staff fall into shambles?

Betts isn't out of the woods yet, either. Manager Dave Roberts talked to the media Friday, as the Dodgers are gearing up to face the Nationals in Washington DC, and told MLB Network Radio that Betts is off the crutches but will undergo further testing (CT scan, MRI) in order to ensure every precaution is taken.

Roberts said Betts won't be playing this weekend and could return Monday, but that's up in the air right now. Dodgers fans will be waiting with bated breath for this next update.

The NL MVP candidate fouled a ball off the in-step of his left foot and has been sore ever since, so the Dodgers are going to be managing his pain closely.

Latest update on Mookie Betts should still have Dodgers fans treading lightly

While this certainly isn't the worst follow-up to the initial concerns, it's definitely not the best. Betts isn't day to day. He's going to miss the next three games and the next time he's ready to take the field is not guaranteed.

And if we're to explore the cosmic aspect of this situation, the Dodgers haven't had the best luck this year. From the pitching staff getting decimated with injuries to various regressions to interrupted injury rehabs from a number of others on the mend, the team has mostly been buoyed by its tremendous offense, which sometimes masked the tough reality of so many other happenings with the roster.

Betts has been the hottest hitter in the league since the start of the second half and is on pace for a career campaign. Though Ronald Acuña Jr. remains the favorite in the MVP race, Betts is right on his tail and has a legitimate case to capture his second trophy.

But if his season is derailed because of a foot issue, his MVP case and the Dodgers' World Series hopes will go down the tubes. You knew that already, though, which is why this will be taken as seriously as it can possibly be until Betts is out there uninterrupted by an injury.