Mookie Betts is battling a mysterious stomach illness that’s cost him nearly 20 pounds and threatens to keep him out of the Dodgers’ lineup as the regular season ramps up.
The 32-year-old former MVP hasn’t played in any of Los Angeles’ games so far, missing both contests in the season-opening Japan series against the Cubs. What started as pre-trip symptoms has evolved into a persistent issue that’s left team officials concerned about his availability for Thursday’s home opener.
“I feel great,” Betts said. “My body feels great. I’ve been able to work out. I’ve been able to do pretty much everything but eat, which is strange. The symptoms have kind of gone away, I just have to figure out how to get my stomach to kind of calm down.”
The weight loss is significant. Betts entered spring training at 175 pounds but has dropped to 157 — a substantial change for a player transitioning to full-time shortstop this season.
“My body’s just kind of eating itself,” Betts explained. “It’s hard to not fuel it. And literally, every time I fuel my body, I throw up… I don’t know what to do.”
What makes this situation particularly unusual is that medical tests haven’t revealed any specific cause. Betts has received IVs to maintain hydration and can keep down liquids, but solid foods trigger immediate vomiting — a pattern that’s continued for nearly two weeks.
Mookie Betts has lost roughly around 23 pounds over the last two weeks.
Betts said it all began two days before leaving to Tokyo. @SportingTrib | #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/a79oOTTTQk
— Fredo Cervantes (@FredoCervantes) March 24, 2025
The situation came to a head Sunday when Betts was scratched from an exhibition game against the Angels after another pre-game vomiting episode.
“It’s just hard to fathom not eating and going to play a game,” Betts said. “So it looks like I’m just going to be light for a little bit. Maybe I play uphill a little bit for the beginning of the season. But I just want to play, man. I’m tired of sitting, tired of throwing up, tired of doing all this. I really just want to play.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has ruled Betts out for Monday’s workout and acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding his availability for the home opener.
“Short-term tomorrow, he’s not gonna play tomorrow night. He’s gonna try to get through a full day of working out. He’ll be at the stadium. And then we’ll see how Monday goes,” Roberts said. “But it’s certainly not ideal as we look at the home-opener. So just kind of take it day by day.”
Dave Roberts post-game on Mookie Betts short term outlook is looking like ahead of the home opener.
But he has never heard of a player going through what Betts is dealing with.
#Dodgers pic.twitter.com/ojW0RNGCQf
— Anthony De Leon (@imjusthustlin) March 24, 2025
The timing couldn’t be worse for both Betts and the Dodgers. After winning both games in Japan, Los Angeles returns home for a three-game series against the Tigers starting Thursday. They’ll need to decide whether Betts can play at a significantly reduced weight or if he’ll need more time to recover.
Betts’ versatility has been crucial to the Dodgers since his 2020 arrival, and his transition to shortstop was expected to be one of the team’s key storylines this season. Now, that storyline has been temporarily overshadowed by health concerns that have left everyone involved searching for answers.
