Mookie Betts leaves game vs. Rockies due to hip injury

Mookie Betts left Saturday night’s game due to right hip irritation, according to the Dodgers. After hitting a double in the seventh inning, Betts came up limping, and the injury looked to have occurred while he was rounding first base. The hip problem ruined what had been a banner night for Betts, as it was his third double as part of a 4-for-4 performance.

Betts is now hitting .271/.375/.503 over 373 plate appearances, as he has been red-hot over the last month following something of a slow start (by his standards) to the 2021 season. Betts has been hampered by some minor injuries (such as a sore shoulder) this year, which could account for his early semi-struggles. He didn’t miss more than a game or two with those issues, and it is possible that he might avoid the injured list again depending on the severity of the hip problem. Coming off the All-Star break, the Dodgers don’t have another off-day until July 26, so there isn’t any built-in opportunity for Betts to get a breather.

More on other injury situations around baseball…

• Reds slugger Nick Castellanos left Friday night’s game after being hit in the right wrist by an Adrian Houser pitch, and Castellanos also wasn’t in Saturday night’s lineup.  X-rays were negative on Castellanos’ wrist, although it seems like he might get at least a day or two off for further examination. Castellanos has been one of baseball’s best hitters this season, batting .330/.384/.583 with 18 home runs over 367 PA, and Cincinnati’s pennant-race hopes would be badly stung if Castellanos had to be placed on the IL for any amount of time.
• Corey Kluber might throw a bullpen session this coming Friday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler). A rotator-cuff strain sidelined Kluber back on May 26, and while the righty was initially projected for an eight-week recovery period, Yankees GM Brian Cashman said last month that September might be Kluber’s likelier return date. Considering the long absence and the fact that Kluber missed almost all of the 2019-20 seasons due to injury, the veteran right-hander is likely to require multiple bullpen sessions and a minor-league rehab assignment before he can get back on a big-league mound, which could account for Cashman’s extended timeline. Nevertheless, it is a good sign that Kluber is beginning to ramp up throwing activities now, so an August return might not be out of the question. Over 53 1/3 innings before his rotator-cuff strain, Kluber looked good in posting a 3.04 ERA, showing some flashes of his old Cy Young Award-winning form.