Mookie

Betts

Betts’ reward for his two-homer, four-RBI night against the Tigers is a day off. The 32-year-old superstar will get a break and Miguel Rojas will handle shortstop duties while hitting ninth with Tommy Edman moves up to the second spot in the lineup.

Betts also singled, if you’re into that sort of thing. The 32-year-old superstar came up huge twice; first with a solo shot in the eighth to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead, and two innings after that inning was blown, Betts gave Los Angeles their fourth-straight win with a three-run blast off an awful Beau Brieske. Betts dealt with illness in the middle of this month. He looks ok now.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Betts, who is back at shortstop and batting second during Tuesday’s Freeway Series showdown, is expected to be ready for Thursday’s stateside opener against the Tigers. The most important variable here is that the 32-year-old shortstop turned a corner earlier this week in his recovery from a prolonged illness, which caused him to lose roughly 25 pounds in the process. It’s an extremely encouraging development for Los Angeles, and fantasy managers, since it was looking earlier this week like there was a possibility he might not be ready in time for Thursday’s opener at Dodger Stadium.

Roberts added that he’s hopeful Betts has turned a corner in his recovery from a prolonged illness and will get into Tuesday’s Freeway Series contest after he was able to keep food down and also get in a workout at Dodger Stadium. The 32-year-old fantasy superstar is officially questionable for Thursday’s stateside opener against the Tigers, but it’s an extremely encouraging development that he’s starting to feel better physically.

It’s officially time for fantasy managers to be concerned. Betts was scratched from Sunday’s Freeway Series opener against the Angels due to an ongoing illness that he told reporters has caused him to lose roughly 25 pounds. The 32-year-old fantasy superstar might wind up requiring a trip to the injured list if he’s unable to get through a workout and get back into game action prior to Thursday’s stateside opener against the Tigers. There should be some clarity on his status at some point in the coming days, but it’s hard to be optimistic at this juncture.

Betts missed both games in Tokyo with an illness that caused him to leave Japan early. He’s playing shortstop and batting second tonight.

Roberts also noted that the team is considering flying Betts back to Los Angeles early so that he can continue recovering. The Dodgers have plenty of options that they can mix and match with in their infield in Betts’ absence, but the most likely scenario is that Miguel Rojas draws a start or two at shortstop in his place.

It’s a developing situation fantasy managers should closely monitor prior to Tuesday’s season-opener against the Cubs. Roberts didn’t rule out the possibility that Betts could play, but didn’t sound optimistic, adding that he doesn’t want to risk putting him in harms way if he’s not 100 percent. He noted that the 32-year-old fantasy superstar showed some fatigue during workouts this weekend and lost some weight due to illness. There should be some clarity on his status prior to Tuesday’s season-opener, but it’s possible Betts winds up sitting out the entire Tokyo Series. His absence would likely result in veteran Miguel Rojas taking over at shortstop.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters they’ll see how he’s feeling on Monday before determining his status for Tuesday’s season-opener against the Cubs. The positive news here is that he was spotted at the ballpark before Saturday’s exhibition contests, so we’re not overly concerned yet. It’s a developing situation fantasy managers should keep on their radar screens in the coming days.

The Dodgers have Miguel Rojas playing shortstop and Tommy Edman batting second with Betts sidelined.