DENVER — As expected, Dodgers star Mookie Betts was officially placed on the injured list on Monday with a broken left hand.
The 31-year-old shortstop was hit by a 97.9 mph fastball from reliever Dan Altavilla in the seventh inning of Sunday’s 3-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
No surgery is anticipated, though Betts is expected to be sidelined up to two months, according to Manager Dave Roberts.
“I think the plan is he’s going to be fitted for a splint and there’s going to be a couple weeks of inactivity with that hand,” Roberts said. “That is my assumption, and to just kind of get the healing process back and try to do everything he can to keep his body in shape. Still, it’s going to be six to eight weeks, something like that.”
The 2018 American League MVP is hitting .304 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs in 72 games.
Roberts is hopeful that Betts will be able to pick up where he left off when he returns, likely late in the season.
“He was hitting his stride,” Roberts said of Betts’ progress as the everyday shortstop. “The throwing has been consistent recently and catching the ball has been good. So, you’re losing a lot of those repetitions.”
This will be Betts’ first stint on the injured list in two years. He missed nearly three weeks in June 2022 with a cracked right rib.
Miguel Rojas will take over as the Dodgers’ starting shortstop, with Kiké Hernandez also seeing time at the position. Shohei Ohtani was moved to the top of the lineup to replace Betts in the leadoff spot in Monday’s game against the Colorado Rockies.
The Dodgers recalled outfielder Miguel Vargas for his second stint this season. He hit .250 with three doubles, one home run and four RBIs in eight games. Vargas was batting .290 with eight homers and 38 RBIs in 41 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Vargas has seen action with the big-league club during parts of three seasons, hitting .195 with nine home runs and 44 RBIs in 107 games.
PETERSEN’S PROGRESS
After a decade in the minors, right-handed reliever Michael Petersen has finally made it to the big leagues.
The Dodgers promoted Petersen to the major league roster on Sunday to bolster their bullpen after right-hander Michael Grove went on the injured list with a right intercostal strain. Petersen’s first appearance in a game will mark his major league debut as well as a testament to his perseverance through the years traveling baseball’s backroads.
“It’s amazing. It’s been a long road and it’s been tough but I never really doubted that this day would happen,” Petersen said ahead of Monday night’s game in Colorado. “Now that it actually is, I keep catching myself, doing like, ‘Wow, this is a pretty big moment.’”
The 6-foot-7, 195-pound Petersen, who turned 30 last month, drew attention during last year’s World Baseball Classic when he pitched for Great Britain and hit 100 mph on the radar gun. He was born in the London area to an American father and Nigerian mother, played baseball at Riverside City College and was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015.
Injuries (including Tommy John surgery) and the pandemic derailed Petersen and he pitched just one inning in three seasons from 2020 through 2022. He spent most of last season in Triple-A for the Rockies then joined the Dodgers’ organization on a minor league deal in January. He had a solid spring and then was assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he gave a glimpse of his potential as a power pitcher. In 23 appearances with Oklahoma City, he posted a 1.61 ERA with 31 strikeouts against six walks in 22⅓ innings.
“I didn’t come in here with any intentions on making the team out of spring,” Petersen said. “I was just like, let’s start strong, have a good season, see what happens and hit the ground running in Oklahoma City.”
And now he has a chance to keep it going with the Dodgers.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Walker Buehler, 1-4, 4.64 ERA) at Rockies (LHP Austin Gomber, 1-4, 4.26 ERA), Tuesday, 5:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM
