Mookie Betts’ injury renew concerns that Dodgers are old

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Dodgers are old.

That is their reality, and that will remain their reality, regardless of what a scheduled MRI examination reveals about the lower-back pain that forced Mookie Betts out of a 10-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Saturday.

The 33-year-old Betts could be bound for the injured list only eight games into the season, and that should renew concerns of what could happen to this team.

Because if the upcoming months don’t unfold as the Dodgers envision, age will be the main reason why.

Just when the Dodgers looked as if they were off and running, and they literally were, Betts’ premature departure offered an unpleasant reminder of how Project Three-Peat could unravel.

With Kyle Tucker in front of him at second base, Betts was on first in the top of the first inning when Freddie Freeman lined a ball into the right-center field gap. Tucker scored, and so did Betts, who upon returning to the bench was complimented by manager Dave Roberts for the walk he drew. Roberts was later informed there was a problem.

“He felt it as he was running,” Roberts said.

Roberts described the injury as “certainly more moderate than significant” but said Betts is “unlikely” to play in the series finale against the Nationals on Sunday. The manager also acknowledged how this could be a setback for Betts.

“Any time you miss, it’s going to take some time to kind of get your footing,” Roberts said.

That’s less than ideal for Betts, who was coming off a down year.

What was particularly striking about Betts’ back problem was how it seemed to come out of nowhere. Ignore his .179 batting average. Betts was back.

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He looked as if he regained whatever muscle mass he lost when he contracted norovirus early last season, particularly in his upper body.

He displayed his old power, homering the opposite way at Dodger Stadium and sending a ball into the visiting bullpen at Nationals Park. His play at shortstop was better than it had ever been, enough to where an uninformed observer probably wouldn’t guess he was a converted outfielder.

“Disappointed for him because we were sort of starting to get going a little bit, and the way he’s playing defense, and he’s a big part of what we do,” Roberts said.

But as much as Betts prepared himself for this marathon of a season, he encountered a formidable obstacle in a 270-foot sprint 

Age does that to a player, and Betts isn’t the only important player on the team who is closer to the end of his career than the start.

The Dodgers made concerted efforts to turn back the clock, the front office instructing players to focus on recovering in the offseason and the players ensuring they reported to camp in better shape.

Teoscar Hernandez, 33, is lighter than he was last year, the benefits of which were shown on Friday when he legged out a couple of infield singles. Max Muncy, 35, also lost weight and looks to be moving better.

Freddie Freeman, 36, has hit into some bad luck, which is why he’s batting only .242. But he’s back to hitting line drives and his defense at first base is at the level it was when he first signed with the Dodgers. Miguel Rojas, 37, looks as if he’s prepared to take over as the team’s primary shortstop while Betts is sidelined.

But what happened to Betts is a reminder of how quickly any of that can change, underscoring the importance of Roberts’ practice of giving his veterans occasional days off. On Saturday, that veteran was Hernandez, who was replaced in the lineup by Alex Call.

The Dodgers have the best player in baseball in Shohei Ohtani. They have the most powerful offense in the major leagues. They have a rotation that includes four Cy Young-caliber starters.

But they also have several key players who are old, and the question regarding them isn’t if they will eventually fall apart but when. The World Series is in six-plus months. As much as they have worked to ensure they will hold up between now and then, one man is already down.