Why is Dodgers Star Not Playing in Spring Training?

"Whether it's Sunday or might be early next week, it's day-to-day, but it won't be before Sunday. It's load management and I wanted Mookie to kind of start a little bit later as far as not getting into spring training ready to go and use spring training to build up given it's six weeks, so he's building up nicely, so he'll be in the lineup soon."

"He was off to a slow start after a bout with norovirus that caused him to lose weight, an illness that came at an inopportune time, as he was making the transition from right field to shortstop. By the end of the year, he'd returned to his typical form, though the solid last two months of the season still barely pulled his OPS+ above the league average."

Mookie Betts has not appeared in the Los Angeles Dodgers' first week of Cactus League spring training games. Manager Dave Roberts indicated Betts is unlikely to play before Sunday at the earliest, with the decision being intentional. The team wanted Betts to start his offseason work later than usual and ramp up gradually over the six-week spring training period rather than entering ready to go. This load management approach follows Betts' 2025 season, which began poorly due to norovirus and a transition to shortstop but improved significantly by year's end. Betts is expected to bat third in 2026 and is training with Yoshinobu Yamamoto's longtime trainer.

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