Dodgers' Mookie Betts Announces Death Of Family Member After Recent Absence

Dodgers star Mookie Betts had an unforeseen absence this week as the team prepared to face his former club, the Boston Red Sox, in a weekend series at Fenway Park.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 23:  Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers runs to the dugout after the third out against the Minnesota Twins in the second inning at Dodger Stadium on July 23, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Betts was absent from the lineup Friday and appeared mid-game Saturday to pinch hit for the Los Angeles Dodgers after flying separately to Boston. He revealed on Sunday that his absence was because of the tragic death of his stepfather.

Betts had traveled back to Tennessee to be with his family and shared a connection to the deceased stepfather dating back to the fourth grade.

Dodgers beat writer Bill Plunkett shared Betts' comments from Sunday's game.

"My stepdad passed," Betts said. "I needed to go home, be with my mom. It’s somebody who’s been in my life from fourth grade until now. So that was tough for me and the fam. I just needed to be there for my mom, my brothers and sisters."

All eyes were on Mookie's return to Fenway. 

But with a loss Sunday, the Dodgers dropped the series to Boston, closing consecutive games in the three-game series.

As a pinch hitter Saturday night, Betts appeared at the plate for the final out on the night with Red Sox reliever Aroldis Chapman in to close it out.

Betts, the 2018 AL MVP, was integral in Boston's World Series victory that season and immediately splashed with the Dodgers, earning a $325 million contract, which paid off instantly with two more World Series titles already under his belt in LA.

In an offensively down year, Betts is overcoming numerous obstacles, including his personal loss and a debilitating health concern that plagued him at the start of the season. 

In March, Betts suffered from an illness that had caused him to drop approximately 20 to 25 pounds in two weeks. 

After returning from illness, Betts acknowledged that the health issue hindered his performance at the plate.

"I didn’t realize how coming back so much underweight would affect me even now," Betts previously said. "Trying to do that 20 pounds lighter, I just created some really, really, really bad habits, man."

The 61-45 Dodgers hold a thinning lead in the NL West, up four games over the Padres.

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