WASHINGTON — The Dodgers will put shortstop Mookie Betts on the injured list with a strained right oblique and recall Hyeseong Kim from Triple-A Oklahoma City, manager Dave Roberts announced Sunday morning.
“Hearing oblique, it kind of gives you a little something in your stomach,” Roberts said. “But talking to Mookie, I felt a little more reassured today.”
Betts had popped into Roberts’ office minutes earlier, dressed in his travel sweatsuit and carrying several bags. Roberts said Betts reported feeling better than expected.
Betts didn’t feel the pain until he was rounding the bases to score on Freddie Freeman’s first-inning double Saturday, according to Roberts. But the team’s working theory is that he strained the muscle on a check swing as he worked a walk in his only plate appearance of the game.
Kim was also in the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park Sunday morning. While Betts is sidelined, Kim is poised to share playing time at shortstop with Miguel Rojas, who was in the lineup batting second and playing shortstop on Sunday.
Roberts has yet to figure out a new normal for the top of the batting order without Betts. On Sunday, right fielder Kyle Tucker, who usually bats behind leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani, had a scheduled rest day.
“I haven’t thought through that,” Roberts said. “I might have some time before today’s game starts to do that.”
In fact, he knew he’d have plenty of time. There was already a downpour outside. The Nationals later announced that the game would begin in a rain delay. They did not immediately provide a new start time.
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