Mookie Betts says his body is “eating itself”

The illness of LA Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts continues to be a concern, keeping the eight-time All-Star from turning out for the team ahead of the new season.

Betts missed the first two regular season games at the Tokyo Dome last week and returned to Los Angeles after reporting an illness. He revealed that he hasn’t been able to keep solid food down and has lost about 15lbs in the past two weeks.

“I mean, I feel great,” Betts explained. “Like, my body feels great. I’ve been able to work out. I’ve been able to do pretty much everything but eat, which is strange. So the symptoms have kind of gone away, I just have to figure out how to get my stomach to kind of calm down.”

He continued: “My body’s just kind of eating itself... 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.”

When will Mookie Betts return for the Dodgers?

Illnesses are nothing rare, particularly in the highly demanding world of professional baseball. But Betts' condition is proving troublesome, with blood tests giving no clue as to the reason for his illness.

The Dodgers will begin their US schedule against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday and Betts looks unlikely to be passed fit to play. ESPN reports that Betts is definitely out for the exhibition game at Angel Stadium on Monday and hasn’t yet been given a definitive date to return to the field.

“It’s just hard to fathom not eating and going to play a game,” Betts told reporters. “So it looks like I’m just going to be light for a little bit. Maybe I play uphill a little bit for the beginning of the season. But no, I just want to play, man. I’m tired of sitting, tired of throwing up, tired of doing all this. I really just want to play.”

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