LOS ANGELES – Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts indicated he can relate to Shohei Ohtani -- grinding through injuries in attempt to regain his swing and end his slump. Betts fractured his hand when he was hit by a pitch in 2024.
"When you're hurt, you just want to play," said Betts, an eight-time All-Star. “So you'll make adjustments to the swing or to your body so you can play. Then you don't want to hurt while you play, so you make the adjustments to where your body doesn't feel it.
“Sometimes it's to the detriment of who you are as a player, and you don't really realize it.’’
While Betts struggled in Los Angeles, MLB’s second-biggest market, Ohtani is a global figure.
“I couldn't imagine really kind of having the expectations that he has and falling short in a way that it's not normal for him,’’ Betts said. “Then having to come back and be present in this postseason knowing how important he is to the boys.
“He's trying. It's just really, really hard. It's really hard to make these slight adjustments in this short amount of time. Like I said, it took me almost two years. I feel for him. I know he's grinding, he's working. So we'll just see. We'll see how he comes and prepares.
But I know he's giving it his all. We know he's giving it his all. We can at least lay our heads on a pillow at night knowing that we've given it everything.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mookie Betts comments on Shohei Ohtani’s postseason struggles: 'He's trying'