Los Angeles Dodgers star and potential National League MVP winner Mookie Betts suffered a fractured hand when he was hit by a pitch on Sunday afternoon. Kansas City Dan Altavilla struck Betts in his left hand with a fastball in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Mookie Betts exited the game after being hit in the hand with a 98mph fastball pic.twitter.com/lmRB3571Tt
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 16, 2024
Luckily for Betts and the Dodgers, the teams said after the game that the injury would not require surgery. However, there is no timetable for Betts' return to the lineup.
I'll be watching the boys and cheering them on," Betts said of his injury after the game. "Other than that, just kind of rest, maybe use it as a mental break, and be ready to go whenever it heals up."
This is the second major injury the Dodgers have to stomach over the past 24 hours. Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto left Saturday's game after two innings and was placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained right rotator cuff. While Yamamoto's MRI did not reveal any tears, and he is not expected to miss the season, manager Dave Roberts expects Yamamoto to miss at least a few weeks.
Now, the Dodgers can add Betts to the list of key injuries. Betts ranks second in the NL in Wins Above Replacement (3.8) and second in On Base Percentage (.405).
Betts' injury hasn't immediately made a significant impact on Dodgers futures. L.A. remains the favorite to win the World Series (+300) and the National League (+135) at BetMGM. The same can't be said for Betts' odds to be the NL MVP.
Betts entered the week as the favorite to win MVP as a +140 favorite at BetMGM and leads all players in ticket percentage and handle. After today's injury, Betts fell to +2500 to win MVP, tied for the seventh-shortest odds on the board.
