For the Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s déjà vu—but with a twist. Last season, injuries had them scrambling. This time it’s not an injury but bad timing, and bad luck has struck them again. Mookie Betts, their superstar, has been ruled out of the Japan Series. He has been suffering from an illness for over a week and lost 15 pounds. So despite hopes of him making a comeback, he won’t be playing.

And while losing a star player is a headache, this one stings even more because of how early this is. But Miami Marlins former president David Samson also highlights a major issue—the MLB’s scheduling. Since the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs are playing these early games, they had to lock in their 26-man rosters way earlier than the other 28 teams.

“This is the downside of what MLB does by having a team start so many days earlier than the other teams,” Samson said. And sure, it does put LA in a tricky spot.

See, if this were a normal opening day situation, the Los Angeles Dodgers could have tweaked their roster and adjusted Mookie Betts’ absence. But because they had to finalize this early, making changes is not going to be simple. Plus, any player they want to remove has to go through the waiver process, which means another team could snatch them up.

Samson explained that it is one of the major reasons that front offices are glued to their waiver wire. “So, you’re always watching the waiver wire. It’s actually a daily activity throughout the season, but it’s especially busy during spring training,” said Samson on his YouTube channel. This is because the teams are constantly watching to see which players might become available as others finalize their rosters. So now, as the Dodgers head to the Tokyo Dome, they might have various pluses, but without Betts, they are already on the downside.

Plus, the early roster rule will play. Meanwhile, the rest of the 28 teams will just get to fine-tune their lineup before the actual opening day, which begins on March 27. As of now, the team has already found a replacement for Betts.

Dave Roberts regrets Betts’ trip to Japan—who fills the gap?

Right now the team or anyone else hasn’t opened up about the mysterious illness that Mookie Betts seems to be suffering from. However, one crucial thing to note is that he was already not feeling well when he got on the plane. So many fans are questioning—why was he even put in the aircraft to head to Japan. And this isn’t traveling from LA to Canada or Mexico—but Asia—a long flight! And Dave Roberts admits that he made a wrong call. “If we had known it would last this long, he wouldn’t have made the trip. We thought he’d be feeling better by now.” But what’s done cannot be undone. What’s next?

Losing Mookie Betts is tough for the Dodgers, but at this point, the team simply has to move on. “It’s frustrating for him. He wanted to be out there with his teammates, but we have to take the long-term approach,” said Dave Roberts. For now, the team is confident in Rojas, as he has played in big moments before and delivered.

Betts is scheduled to be there in the season opener back on March 27. Do you think he will make a swift recovery? Let us know what you think this mysterious illness is.