Dodgers star, Nashville native Mookie Betts leaves Japan because of illness
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, a Nashville John Overton High School graduate, has left Tokyo and will miss his team's two-game series there against the Chicago Cubs because of an undisclosed illness.
Betts has lost 15 pounds, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Betts, an eight-time All-Star, returned to Los Angeles early Monday morning to continue recovering ahead of his team's domestic season opener March 27.
'Mookie flew home early evening, late afternoon yesterday and arrived safely,' Roberts told reporters in Tokyo. 'It just made the most sense for him to get back to a regular routine. That's kind of where we're at and we all support it.'
The Dodgers are Cubs are set to begin to the 2025 MLB season at the Tokyo Dome on Tuesday, followed by another game Wednesday.
Betts, who won the 2018 American League MVP Award while he was with the Boston Red Sox, made the trip to Japan despite feeling ill before the team left. He quickly tired Sunday during a workout before the decision was made to send him back to Los Angeles.
Betts helped Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers win the World Series last year, his third championship overall and second with Los Angeles.
Betts also is a six-time Gold Glove winner and seven-time Silver Slugger Award winner.
Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina. Follow his work here.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dodgers star, Nashville native Mookie Betts leaves Japan with illness
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