Mookie Betts met with reporters on Monday afternoon in Toronto, two days after he suffered the injury while running the bases in Washington D.C., and one day after he was placed on the injured list.
Betts referenced an oblique injury he had during his American League MVP season of 2018 with the Boston Red Sox, when he missed 15 days before returning. He said that injury eight years ago was much more severe than this incarnation.
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“I think we’re in a much better spot than originally anticipated,” Betts said, as shown by SportsNet LA. “From day one, two days ago to now, I’m light years ahead of where I thought I was going to be. … Obviously I know I gotta be smart with obliques, they can kind of linger around. Be smart about it, but I’m not trying to take my time or anything. I want to play.”
Jack Harris at the California Post talked to 16 Dodgers about the Dodgers’ Game 7 comeback in last year’s World Series. Among the highlights:
“I didn’t really know how we were gonna do it,” Justin Wrobleski said. “But, I don’t know, I had a feeling.”
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Kiké Hernández felt similarly, especially while fighting through an elbow injury that later required surgery: “To be honest, I was trying to be in the moment because I was in so much pain. I was just trying to survive.”
Also ahead of the Dodgers-Blue Jays series, Sonja Chen and Keegan Matheson for MLB.com talked to players from both teams about the rematch:
“It’s not like playing in front of our fans, it’s playing in front of the whole city that was hopeful to win a World Series,” Rojas said. “I’m expecting, for the first time in my life, to get booed when I play there.”
Over at Dodgers Digest, Bruce Kuntz ranked his top 40 Dodgers prospects this season, led by the usual outfielders at the top, with Josue De Paula ranked first, Zyhir Hope second, and Eduardo Quintero third. Kuntz also ranked pitcher Zach Root, last year’s first draft pick out of Arkansas, 10th in the system:
His test will be whether this velocity and new, high-octane version of himself will actually translate into full starts. It will also be intriguing to monitor whether his command remains at the plus projection he had in college or if it ticks down thanks to his velocity gains. Either way, the Dodgers have transformed Root from a less-flashy backend projection to one of the most interesting arms in the system.
Ken Griffey Jr., like his former Seattle Mariners teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, has turned to professional photography in his post-baseball days. Griffey talked about his passion for photography, and working The Masters with Brendan Quinn at The Athletic:
“I think it’s all about getting better and trying to learn things,” Griffey said on a call last week. “I feel like if you get stuck or you only do one thing, your mind is going to die. You can always get better and learn different things. I like taking pictures. So why not learn to take better pictures?”
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