MLB Injury Report: Key Player Updates Before Opening Day

Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers) - Two days before the Dodgers trip to Japan, star outfielder Mookie Betts began experiencing stomach issues and missed the two games that opened up the regular season. Betts quickly lost 15 pounds and has been unable to keep down food and is now down to around 157lbs when his typical playing weight is around 178lbs.

All tests have come back negative and for now this is being declared a stomach virus, Betts has described the illness as his ‘body eating itself’.

There have been positive updates, "My body feels great. I've been able to work out. I've been able to do pretty much everything but eat, which is strange," Betts told reporters, so he is trending in the right direction physically, keeping food down and getting back to his playing weight are the main priorities at this point

Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres) - Manager Mike Shildt said Friday that Darvish (elbow) will miss the start of the regular season and has no official timeline for his return, the veteran right-hander will be shut down from throwing for an unspecified period before ramping his throwing program back up, so it's unclear when he might be ready for his 2025 debut

Gunnar Henderson (Baltimore Orioles) - Sustained an intercostal strain in February, GM Mike Elias announced Sunday that Henderson (side) will start the regular season on the injured list but hopes the absence will be measured in "days, not weeks," he took live batting practice Saturday and could be cleared to play in exhibition games in the near future, so there's optimism his absence to begin the season will be brief

Ronald Acuña Jr (Atlanta Braves) - Atlanta has been hesitant to place any timeline on Acuna's return from left ACL surgery, however he hopes to make his season debut for Atlanta in early to mid-May, Acuna has been going through most baseball activities during spring camp but is not yet been cleared to play in games, he'll begin a rehab assignment sometime after Opening Day and could need all 20 days he's allotted in a minor-league setting before rejoining the Atlanta lineup

Nico Hoerner (Chicago Cubs) - Has been working through a forearm injury, despite missing most of the spring training slate as well as the Cubs' two-game, season-opening set versus the Dodgers in Tokyo earlier this month, Hoerner looks as though he'll be able to avoid a stint on the injured list

Francisco Alvarez (New York Mets) - Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that Alvarez has been diagnosed with a fractured hamate bone in his left hand and will be sidelined 6-to-8 weeks after he undergoes surgery, making his 2025 debut in late April is likely the best-case scenario while coming back from a fracture in his glove hand, but there's a real chance Alvarez doesn't return from the injured list until May

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