Dodgers Star Mookie Betts Is Struggling with 25-Lb. Weight Loss from Mystery Illness: ‘My Body’s Kind of Eating Itself’

Mookie Betts is dealing with a mystery illness.

On March 23, the Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop spoke to reporters at Dodger Stadium and detailed his recent health troubles after missing the first three season-opening games. The 32-year-old revealed he’s been vomiting and unable to eat, resulting ina 25-lb. weight loss.

“I’m not exactly sure what it is. I don’t think anybody really knows,” he said. “You go weigh yourself and you weigh 150 lbs. and before I left spring [training] I was 175. My stomach is, I guess, really aggravated. So it’s hard to just not eat, especially because you can’t come to work and just not eat.”

“I’m practicing all day and my body’s just kind of eating itself,” Betts explained. “Literally every time I fuel my body, I throw it up, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

Betts said his symptoms began nearly two weeks ago, and he’s “scared to eat” because of how much he’s thrown up. The baseball pro noted that doctors have even been struggling to diagnose him because everything appears normal.

“My vitals, everything’s come back clean. Blood tests have come back really clean,” he said. “I’m healthy.”

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Doctors put him on medication, and he expects to undergo additional and more extensive testing. For now, he’s simply not eating and hopes to get back on the field regardless.

“It’s just hard to fathom not eating and going to play a game,” he said. “So it looks like I’m just going to be light for a little bit. Maybe I play uphill a little bit for the beginning of the season. But no, I just want to play, man. I’m tired of sitting, tired of throwing up, tired of doing all this. I really just want to play.”

Betts also admitted that dealing with his unexplained stomach issues is a lot more frustrating than recovering from his broken hand last year, explaining that his current situation is just “so touchy.”

“I mean, I feel great,” he told reporters. “Like, 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. So, the symptoms have kind of gone away, I just have to figure out how to get my stomach to kind of calm down.”