Mookie Betts Reveals Weight Plummeted Due To Mysterious Illness

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts has opened up about a frightening health scare that has sidelined him during critical pre-season play, revealing that a mystery illness has caused his body to deteriorate rapidly, and left him unable to eat without vomiting.

The 32-year-old All-Star missed the team’s recent two-game Tokyo Series and other spring exhibitions after falling ill at the Dodgers’ Arizona training facility just one day before their scheduled departure to Japan.

Initially reported to be dealing with flu-like symptoms, Mookie Betts’ condition has since worsened significantly.

Last week, Betts said he had dropped 15 pounds due to the unknown stomach illness, which has now climbed to nearly 20 pounds. The drastic weight loss has cast doubt over his availability for the Dodgers’ season opener against the Detroit Tigers this Thursday.

“I just want to play,” Betts told reporters on Sunday, per Daily Mail. “I’m tired of sitting, tired of just throwing up, tired of doing all this. I just really want to play.”

Describing the severity of his symptoms, Betts admitted, “My body’s just kind of eating itself. It’s hard to not fuel it. And so every time, literally every time, I fuel my body, I throw up. I don’t know what to do.”

Despite the alarming nature of the illness, Betts says he is still managing to work out and go about daily life. But the inability to hold down food has left him “scared to eat.”

“This is so touchy, man,” he continued. “You think you feel good, and then you don’t really know. Every time I eat something, it just comes right out.”

Betts also missed exhibition matchups against the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers earlier this month, continuing a stretch of inactivity that has concerned fans and the organization alike.

Now entering his sixth season with the Dodgers, Betts was a key part of the team’s 2023 World Series run. He batted .289 with 19 home runs and 75 RBIs across 116 games last season, numbers that reflect his continued dominance on the field when healthy.

As of now, there’s no official diagnosis or timeline for his return. While the team continues to monitor his condition, Betts’ primary focus remains simple: getting back on the field and doing what he loves.

“I just really want to play,” he repeated, a sentiment fans across baseball are no doubt echoing, hoping for answers and a speedy recovery for one of the game’s brightest stars.

The Los Angeles Dodgers may be entering the 2024 MLB season as reigning World Series champions, but for Mookie Betts, last year’s success is already in the rearview mirror.

With Opening Day around the corner, the eight-time All-Star is making it clear: the time for reflecting on 2023 is over, and the Dodgers have work to do.

“We can’t keep thinking about being champions again,” Betts told reporters last month. “We haven’t even played Game 1. We have to take care of spring training and then when Game 1 comes, then Game 1 comes. But we can’t keep talking about the World Series.”

Betts believes last year’s championship run wasn’t about chasing a title, it was about staying grounded.

“We didn’t win last year because we were talking about the World Series every day. I think we won last year because we talked about the task at hand,” he added.

And there are plenty of tasks ahead. The Dodgers, despite a star-studded lineup, enter the season with questions swirling around their pitching rotation, injury recovery timelines, and one of the oldest rosters in the league. Manager Dave Roberts is also navigating the final year of his contract, though insiders expect an extension before spring training wraps.

One of the biggest storylines of the offseason has been Betts’ full-time transition from outfield to shortstop, a move that’s as high-stakes as it is historic. A six-time Gold Glove winner in right field, Betts began his shift to the infield during last year’s spring training, originally expecting to play second base. But when Gavin Lux struggled with the throw from short, Betts stepped up.

This spring, he has more time to prepare, 35 days versus last year’s 14, and has been working closely with Dodgers first base coach Chris Woodward and veteran infielder Miguel Rojas to fine-tune his mechanics.

“You can’t race to the finish line,” Betts said. “We know where the finish line is and you take your time getting there. Do it right. Do it once. If you do it right, you only have to do it once.”

His dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“He’s natural,” said teammate Max Muncy. “He’s the best athlete I’ve ever seen.”

Rojas added, “I think he’s way more comfortable with the things he’s doing at short. He just needs to get more reps.”