Cody Snavely
ANAHEIM— The most significant storyline following the Los Angeles Dodgers as they get ready to restart the 2025 Major League Baseball regular season is whether all-star shortstop Mookie Betts will be ready for domestic Opening Day against the Detroit Tigers this Thursday at Dodger Stadium.
Betts has missed the last several weeks due to a stomach virus. The virus has left the three-time World Series champion on an empty stomach, unable to eat solid foods. As a result, nearly twenty pounds have been lost since the final day of Cactus League play.
Betts attempted to rejoin the Dodgers lineup yesterday in Game One of a three-game exhibition series against their Freeway rival, the Los Angeles Angels, but after vomiting his breakfast, the Dodgers decided to remove him from the starting lineup.
However, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed during his pregame media scrum that Betts was able to participate fully in workouts today at Dodger Stadium and hold down his food.
So, for now, Betts will return to the Dodgers lineup for tomorrow’s series finale at Angel Stadium. His status for Thursday’s opener will be decided based on how he feels after the game, if he plays at all.
If Betts cannot play tomorrow and misses the home opener on Thursday, we could see the Dodgers place Betts on the 10-day Injured List with a restorative date, but time will tell.
Moving from one MVP to another, Dave Roberts also confirmed that two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will throw a bullpen session on Saturday, the first since February 25th.
What Roberts stopped himself short of this time around was a timeline for when Ohtani will be ready to rejoin the Dodgers rotation.
Initially, at the start of spring training, Ohtani and Roberts suggested a mid-May return, which seemed probable, but after delaying his bullpen session to focus on hitting before the trip to Tokyo, Japan, that derailed those plans.
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