Mookie Betts sidelined with oblique strain, Hyeseong Kim promoted from Triple-A to MLB

Dark clouds hung over Nationals Park today. While the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a series sweep against the Nationals, an unsurprising yet unfortunate news arrived. Before the team's 8-6 victory in the series finale, shortstop Mookie Betts was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain. The Dodgers promoted infielder Hyeseong Kim from Triple-A Oklahoma City to fill the MLB roster vacancy.

Betts was removed from the shortstop position in the bottom of the first inning during yesterday's Dodgers 10-5 win over the Nationals. In his only plate appearance of the game, he drew a walk against Nationals right-hander Jake Irvin. He then felt discomfort in his lower right back while running from first base to home plate on Freddie Freeman's two-run double.

That night, Betts underwent a back MRI, which revealed an oblique strain. The team believes he might have been injured during a "half-swing." Even before Betts received imaging, manager Dave Roberts indicated Betts was unlikely to play for the next few days, partly because the Dodgers' next stop is Rogers Centre (a turf field).

Roberts initially described Betts' injury as "moderate, not severe" and remained somewhat optimistic after learning the diagnosis. Moderate oblique strains typically require 4 to 6 weeks of recovery, but Roberts hopes Betts can return sooner.

"I think it will be shorter than that," Roberts said, "but I'm hesitant to give a specific timeline now because oblique injuries are tricky."

Hyeseong Kim and Miguel Rojas will form a regular rotation at shortstop: Kim will start against right-handed pitchers, Rojas against left-handed starters. Rojas replaced Betts defensively yesterday, contributed a sacrifice fly for a run, and performed excellently on defense, including a spectacular throw from a prone position in the seventh inning to tag out James Wood at first base.

Kim performed well during spring training, but he began the season in Triple-A as the Dodgers wanted him to continue refining his swing. In six games with the Triple-A Comets, Kim had 9 hits in 26 at-bats, a .346 batting average, with 7 strikeouts and 4 walks. He missed yesterday's Triple-A game due to traveling to Washington to join the MLB team.

Alex Freeland is also a shortstop option if needed, but he is expected to get more playing time at second base. Since the season began, he has rotated with Rojas at second base. Freeland is a switch-hitter, primarily used as a left-handed batter. In his first six games, he had 3 hits in 16 at-bats, a .188 batting average, and a .753 OPS.

Like other hitters in the Dodgers' top lineup, Betts started the season slowly at the plate, but he recently had a 2-for-6 performance at Nationals Park, including a go-ahead two-run homer. In the early part of his second full season as the Dodgers' starting shortstop, he continued to excel defensively.

The Dodgers' lineup has seen little change early in the season, but losing Betts, their third batter, may introduce more flexibility. Today, Rojas batted second (with Kyle Tucker resting), and Teoscar Hernández batted third. The hot-hitting Andy Pages, who has mostly batted in lower spots, might move up to third. Roberts stated that Pages has proven he can handle that spot, but he also likes the current lineup configuration.

The Dodgers believe they have sufficient depth to cope with Betts' absence, but this remains a tough blow. They must find a way forward without Betts in the short term.

"This is the benefit of having depth, which many teams don't have," Roberts said. "Being able to rotate at shortstop and feel good about the matchups isn't all bad. It also gives other players opportunities. But it's undoubtedly a blow."