In Sunday's contest against the Kansas City Royals, Mookie Betts got hit by a pitch on a in the seventh inning of the Dodgers' 3-0 victory, fracturing his left hand. As a result, Betts will be out of action for a while.

With a 1-2 count against right-hander Dan Altavilla, Betts was hit by a 97.9 mph four-seamer and went down hard, clearly hurting. There is no set timeline for Betts' comeback, but manager Dave Roberts stated that he won't require surgery, and that the injury won't end his season. If an estimate were to be placed on the injury, a 6–8-week timeframe is most likely.

Both teams found it difficult to look at the scary moment as Betts struggled to get up and walk off the field for some amount of time. It was the first time Betts could remember being hit in the hands. He has before missed time due to a bone fracture in an outfield collision with Cody Bellinger in 2022, where he cracked his right rib.

 “Obviously, I'll be watching the boys, cheering them on,” said Betts. “But other than that, it’s just a kind of rest, maybe use it as a mental break. Be ready to go whenever it heals up.”

For this season, Betts, the leadoff hitter for Los Angeles and one of their most consistent players, was batting .304 with an OPS of .893. At 10 home runs, Betts is tied for the third most on the team. In his first full season at shortstop, Betts has filled in with skill as a six-time Gold Glove winner in right field. Roberts' "initial thought" in his absence is to shift Shohei Ohtani up to leadoff, a position he frequently held during his six seasons with the Angels.

It is likely the biggest blow the Dodgers could have suffered to lose Betts, who was on his way to starting for the National League at shortstop in the All-Star Game. His teammates will need to make some significant adjustments as a result of this.