Outfielder Mookie Betts and first baseman Freddie Freeman were missing from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Opening Day lineup.
Betts was never included in the Dodgers’ starting lineup for the Tokyo Series, as he was dealing with a lingering illness. The Dodgers ultimately opted to send Betts home from Japan early to allow him to recover from the illness.
Freeman was initially part of the lineup but was scratched shortly before the first pitch. The 2024 World Series Most Valuable Player was dealing with rib discomfort in the same place he sustained a rib injury a few months ago in the postseason.
“This time of the year is the worst time of the year to take a chance with somebody that has something that, if you give it a little time, it can get better, but if it doesn’t, if you’re wrong, and too aggressive with it … they lose six or eight weeks,” Dodgers doctor Neal ElAttrache told the Los Angeles Times.
Betts’ illness has caused him to lose nearly 15 pounds. Although the illness was not believed to be contagious, the organization chose to err on the side of caution with their star shortstop.
“Dehydration is one of the worst conditions you can have for muscle strains,” ElAttrache said. “You have Mookie come out here, tear an oblique or hamstring, you can lose him for 6 weeks. Or Freddie, if we were a little cavalier about that you lose him for six weeks.”
ElAttrache emphasized that the beginning of the season is one of the most important times to be cautious with injured players.
He explained that an early-season injury often throws spring training progress out the window, forcing players to start from scratch. Instead of being able to quickly bounce back, players have to not only recover from the injury but retain the skills they gained during spring training.
“If you do that at the beginning of the season you have to start the whole thing over,” ElAttrache said. “Because spring training, basically, you have to wipe that out. You have to start that over again.”
“There’s a big difference between somebody going down midseason and having to sit out for several weeks, and being able to come back and pick right up where they were before,” ElAttrache added.
The Dodgers are aiming for back-to-back World Series titles this season, which will require both eight-time All-Stars to be healthy for a majority of the season and the postseason.
