SI

Mookie Betts Had Brutal Line About Mysterious Illness That Has Seen Him Lose 20 Pounds

Stephen Douglas

Mookie Betts is still coming to work despite a mystery illness.
Mookie Betts is still coming to work despite a mystery illness. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
In this story:

Mookie Betts is sick. The Los Angeles Dodgers star traveled with the team for their season-opening series in Tokyo, but did not play because of a mystery illness and things have not improved since he returned to the states.

Betts spoke with the media on Sunday and revealed some jarring details about his situation. Betts, who is listed at 180 pounds, says that he was 175 and is now down to 157 and he's sounds miserable. Via Yahoo!:

"I just want to play," Betts said softly by his locker. "I'm tired of sitting, tired of just throwing up, tired of doing all this. I just really want to play."

"My body's just kind of eating itself," he said. "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."

Betts said he felt fine on Sunday morning and showed up at the park for the team's spring training game against the Angels, but had to throw up a few hours later. He's trying to give it a go, but no one knows what's happening with him.

Betts hopes to be in the starting lineup on Thursday for opening day, but who knows?

More MLB on Sports Illustrated

Published
Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.

Home/MLB