LOS ANGELES — Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman were each held out of the Dodgers’ first two games of the regular season in Japan. Freeman returned Sunday in the opener of the exhibition Freeway Series against the Angels at Dodger Stadium.
Mookie Betts was originally in Sunday’s lineup as well, but was scratched about an hour before the game.
Betts said he’s down from 175 to 157 pounds with an illness that he first felt on the final day of camp in Arizona on March 11. He made the trip to Tokyo but was sent home early before the games against the Cubs. Sunday marks two full weeks since Betts last played in a game.
“In the last couple of days he feels really good, doesn’t feel anything,” manager Dave Roberts said Sunday, before Betts was scratched again. “It’s something we’ve got to make sure we monitor, but he wouldn’t be out there if we didn’t feel confident that he’s on his way back.”
Betts said he felt fine earlier Sunday, but then threw up closer to game time.
“My stomach is really aggravated, so it’s hard to eat. You can’t come to work and not eat. You know how I am, practicing every day,” Betts said. “Literally every time I fuel my body, I throw it up, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
Betts said he would have played Sunday had he not thrown up. He’s taking new medicine, but otherwise medical tests have come back fine. He’s been able to drink smoothies, but hasn’t been able to keep solid food down.”
“I feel great. My body feels great, I’ve been able to do pretty much anything but eat, which is strange,” Betts said. “The symptoms have gone away, I just have to find a way to get my stomach to calm down.”
Freeman did play, and grounded into a double play in his first at-bat against José Soriano. He was held out in Japan after feeling rib discomfort. The plan is for Freeman to bat twice on Sunday and play three or four innings in the field.
“It’s a build up,” Roberts said.
That was also the plan for Betts before he was scratched on Sunday. Before the lineup change, Roberts was coonfident both Betts and Freeman would be in the lineup for Thursday’s home opener against the Tigers. It’s unclear if that remains the case after Betts was scratched on Sunday.
“It’s a tough question, because you go out there and play four innings and put your team at a deficit, and put yourself at a deficit,” Betts said of potentially playing Thursday. “You’re already playing uphill at 157 pounds, that’s way underweight. Playing uphill, I’m not saying I don’t want to do it. It’s just game one of the season. Do I really want to give myself an uphill battle? Sure, if it makes sense. That’s the question we really have to answer.”
