Dodgers Aren't Worried About World Series Right Now, Says $365 Million Star

Gabe Smallson | Mar 25, 2025

Mar 15, 2025; Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) warms up before the game against the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been dealing with a laundry list of concerns ahead of the home opener to the 2025 season.

From pitching injuries to positional questions to the health of their superstars, the uncertainty keeps growing with Thursday's contest imminent.

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Former American League MVP Mookie Betts was working to be the everyday shortstop for the Dodgers this offseason and making significant progress after showing promise in the infield last season. This work has been impacted for most of March due to a stomach illness.

Betts' sickness has been nagging him since the penultimate Cactus League game of the spring. It kept him out of the two exhibition games in Tokyo, Japan, and sent him on a plane back home before the Opening Day contest began.

Despite his illness, he recently spoke on what his team needs to do to win another championship in 2025.

“We didn’t win last year because we were talking about the World Series every day,” Betts said. “We won last year because we talked about the task at hand. I think we have to continue to talk about the task at hand and not worry about the end goal. We have an end goal, of course, but you have to take steppingstones to get there.”

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Trusting the process for the greater good of the ultimate goal is exactly what transpired in last season's dominant title run, and something this newly retooled roster hopes to do again.

It is also what Betts may need to channel on his recovery from his sickness.

Hopefully, he can trust the process and slowly recover so he is not a risk for a more severe injury if he pushes himself to play, which he told reporters Sunday he desperately wants to do again.

“So looks like I’m just going to be light for a little bit,” Betts said. “Maybe I play uphill a little bit for the beginning of the season. But I just want to play, man. I’m tired of sitting, tired of just throwing up, tired of doing all this. I just really just want to play.”

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