Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts missed the start of the season because of a violent stomach virus, but once he returned to the lineup, it was as if he had not skipped a beat.
Betts most notably headlined ring night with a 10th inning walk-off home run against the Detroit Tigers after losing 20 pounds from the sickness.
He had also hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning of the game.
However, since a home run happy start to 2025, Betts has since endured a relatively long offensive slump. The Dodgers star is currently hitting .258 with five home runs and 22 runs batted in.
“I didn’t realize how coming back so much underweight would affect me even now,” Betts said to The Los Angeles Times’ Jack Harris. “Trying to do that 20 pounds lighter, I just created some really, really, really bad habits, man.”
Betts is in the 80th percentile for chase percentage, 82nd percentile for whiff rate, and 97th percentile for strikeout rate, per Baseball Savant.
“At first, it was cool. When I first came back, I hit a couple homers. The habits didn’t creep all the way in,” Betts said. “But then they started creeping in. And that’s what you’ve seen here recently. The product of some really bad habits from being so light.”
After Betts became ill, there was speculation the starting shortstop would make a stint on the injured list given the shocking amount of weight he had lost in so little time.
However, Betts returned to the lineup only days after not being able to hold any solid foods down.
The concern surrounding Betts’ drastic weight loss was how he would overcompensate at the plate because of his lighter frame. However, there appeared to be no setbacks for the Dodgers star upon his return.
Almost two months into the season, it appears Betts is now experiencing the repercussions of the stomach illness.
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