PHILADELPHIA — Mookie Betts, as expected, was placed on the 10-day injured list because of an inflamed right hip before Wednesday night’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Citizens Bank Park.
The Dodgers outfielder will fly back to Los Angeles Wednesday night to be examined by doctors on Thursday. He was replaced on the 26-man roster by pitcher Edwin Uceta.
“He’s disappointed, frustrated, but we’re gonna have some more experts chime in and try to figure this thing out,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We’re going to keep digging in on this, and hopefully he responds well.”
Betts was scratched from Tuesday night’s series opener because of the hip, which, according to Roberts, was “achy, sore,” even after Betts did not play in Sunday’s game against the Angels and Monday’s off day. Roberts said Wednesday’s move is not an indication that the hip has worsened.
“No, I think it’s the same,” Roberts said. “The action to make the move to the IL would seem otherwise, but symptomatically, it is what it is. It’s difficult to for him to navigate and move around. You still have to have a functional roster, so to get him some rest is a no-brainer step for us.”
The Dodgers did not put a timetable on a return for Betts but remain hopeful it will not take much longer than 10 days.
“Right now, we’re trying to get some of the pain and discomfort to dissipate,” Roberts said. “That’s what we’re hoping these next eight days will accomplish, and we’ll see where he’s at. We’re hopeful it’s a 10-day thing and he’ll be back with us. I just don’t want to put any [timetable] on his return.”
The Dodgers hoped to manage the hip injury by playing Betts periodically at second base and giving him regular days off, but “it almost seems like it’s worse coming off the off day,” Roberts said on Tuesday.
Betts received a cortisone injection in July, and he could take another shot. Roberts said Betts has not sustained a “labrum tear” in the hip, but he also didn’t rule out the possibility of Betts undergoing post-season surgery.
“I think everything is on the table right now,” Roberts said.
Matt Beaty will start in right field Wednesday night. Super utility man Chris Taylor is filling in for injured third baseman Justin Turner (left groin) this week, but when Turner returns, Taylor will join Cody Bellinger and AJ Pollock in the outfield.
Infielder Gavin Lux is playing some third base — a position he has not played as a professional — during this week’s Triple-A rehabilitation stint and could be an option there when he is activated.
Betts was sidelined by the same injury for the final two weeks of July. He hit .381 (8 for 21) with three homers and four RBIs in five games since being activated on Aug. 1, and he’s batting .277 with an .899 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 17 homers, 25 doubles, 44 RBIs and 68 runs in 87 games on the season.
The Dodgers enter Wednesday night four games behind the San Francisco Giants in the National League West with 49 games to play. Now, they will have to chase down the Giants without one of their most dynamic players.
“It makes it more difficult, certainly, but we have a lot of talented players,” Roberts said. “We just have to be ourselves and play good baseball.”
