WASHINGTON -- With dark clouds gathering over Nationals Park on Sunday, a piece of unwelcome but not unexpected news clouded over the Dodgers' series sweep over the Nationals.
Shortstop Mookie Betts was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain prior to L.A.'s 8-6 series-finale win. The Dodgers recalled infielder Hyeseong Kim from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take his spot on the active roster.
Betts was replaced at shortstop in the bottom of the first inning of the Dodgers' 10-5 win over the Nationals on Saturday afternoon. After drawing a walk in his lone plate appearance vs. Nationals right-hander Jake Irvin, Betts scored from first base on Freddie Freeman's two-run double and felt discomfort in his right lower back area while running the bases.
Later that night, Betts had an MRI on his back that revealed the oblique strain, which the club believes he suffered on a checked swing. Even before Betts underwent imaging, manager Dave Roberts said it was unlikely that Betts would play the next couple of days, citing the turf at Rogers Centre -- the Dodgers' next destination -- as part of the reason.
Roberts initially described Betts' injury as "more moderate than significant," and he continued to have some optimism after learning of the diagnosis. Moderate oblique strains can take around 4-6 weeks to heal, and Roberts is hopeful that Betts could return sooner than that.
"I would take the under on that," Roberts said. "But as far as putting a timeline, I'm really hesitant right now, because [oblique injuries] are tricky."
Kim and Miguel Rojas will form a traditional platoon at shortstop, with Kim starting against right-handers and Rojas against left-handers. Rojas replaced Betts in the field on Saturday night, plating a run on a sacrifice fly and fielding the position well, including making a nifty throw from the seat of his pants to retire James Wood at first base in the seventh inning.
Kim put together an impressive Spring Training but started the season in the Minors because the Dodgers wanted him to continue working on his swing. Kim went 9-for-26 (.346) with seven strikeouts against four walks in six games with the Comets, and he was out of the lineup on Saturday night while traveling to Washington.
Alex Freeland should also be an option at shortstop if needed, but he's expected to see more time at second base, where he and Rojas were platooning to start the season. Freeland, a switch-hitter who is primarily used as a left-handed hitter, has gone 3-for-16 (.188) with a .753 OPS through his first six games.
Along with the others hitting at the top of the order, Betts had a slow start at the plate, but he was coming off a 2-for-6 showing that included a go-ahead two-run homer on Friday at Nationals Park. He continued to shine defensively early on in his second full season as the Dodgers' starting shortstop.
The Dodgers' lineup, which has not seen many changes from day to day early in the season, could be a fluid situation without Betts in the three-hole. On Sunday, Rojas hit second (on a planned day off for Kyle Tucker) and Teoscar Hernández hit third.
The red-hot Andy Pages, who's mostly been hitting in the lower third, could move up to the third spot in the order. Roberts said that Pages has shown him enough to hit that high, but he also likes the dynamic of the lineup as currently constructed.
The Dodgers believe they have enough depth to account for Betts' absence, but it's a tough one to weather. They'll have to find a path forward without him in the near future.
"That’s the great thing about having the depth that a lot of teams don’t have," Roberts said. "Being able to plug in a platoon at short and feel like you have good matchups is not all bad. And it gives other guys opportunities. But it’s a blow, for sure."