Dodgers star Mookie Betts returns to US to recuperate from illness, will miss 2 games in Japan

Shortstop Mookie Betts has returned to Los Angeles to continue recovering from an illness that will cause him to miss the Dodgers' first two games of the regular season at the Tokyo Dome. Manager Dave Roberts said on Monday that the eight-time All-Star wouldn't play against the Chicago Cubs because of an unspecified illness that's caused him to lose nearly 15 pounds. The 2018 AL Most Valuable Player is feeling better, but Roberts said Betts needed to return home and recuperate ahead of the team's domestic opener on March 27.