Dodgers notes: Mookie Betts, Ryan Pepiot, Amed Rosario, Kolten Wong

For any concerns or fears about Mookie Betts’ injury, they can subside.

Betts and manager Dave Roberts both confirmed that the MVP contender is dealing with a bone bruise in his left foot. Although Betts wasn’t active for the series in Washington D.C., Roberts expects him to be available by Monday at the earliest— just in time for their home series against the San Diego Padres.

Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register shares how both Betts and Roberts are handling the situation, downplaying any fears that the injury could be serious:

From Betts: “I wasn’t concerned to get the scans and all those things. But the guys gotta do their protocol,” he said. “Just fouled a ball off my foot. That’s the beginning and the end of the story.”

From Roberts: “But if he comes out of today fine and I hear from him and the training staff that he’s good to go, then obviously we can change... But for me, I’m just taking it day to day and we’ll see how he comes out of it.”

When he inevitably returns, Betts will look to turn around what has been a lackluster September by his standards, as he has a .222/.417/.222 slashline through 24 plate appearances with just one RBI in six games played.

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Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic writes about Ryan Pepiot’s recent start, where he took a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins, and if he has the chance of being a part of the rotation in the postseason.

“It would be incredible,” Pepiot said. “Everyone wants to play in October. October baseball is something special. Just going out there every night and just trying to advance, win one game at a time, and go as far as you can would mean a lot to me.”

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report lists ten impending free agents who need a strong finish to their season to secure a sizable contract. Miller lists two Dodgers, Amed Rosario and Kolten Wong, as players who need to outperform their season’s stats to get a good offer in free agency.

Rosario has mired in a 19-game slump, hitting just .213 with zero home runs in that span. As for Wong, he hit a pinch-hit home run against Atlanta in his first at-bat with the team, and delivered the game-tying single in the ninth inning Saturday night in Washington DC. Those are Wong’s two hits in his 11 at-bats with the Dodgers.

Ryan Pepiot has been a saving grace for the Dodgers rotation, despite starting just two games all year. The 26-year-old has a microscopic 0.86 ERA in 21 innings, including a 0.52 WHIP and an ERA+ of 515.