BOSTON - It took a few days, but Mookie Betts is feeling better after his spill over the wall in right field and into the Red Sox bullpen last Tuesday.
Betts landed on his upper-back/neck and was diagnosed with a concussion after the game. He was placed on the 7-day DL the following day, and must now go through MLB's mandatory concussion protocol before he's cleared to play again.
The good news is that Betts is starting to feel like normal again after a tough couple of days in which headaches prevented him from sleeping much.
Betts won't join the team on the first half of their six-game road trip, but should join them for the second half in Detroit.
"Mookie seemed to turn a corner [Saturday]," John Farrell said. "Headache has disappeared. He is going to re-checked here in Boston [by mid-week]. He won't travel to New York. But he'll begin exertion testing [Sunday] and we'll continue to go through the MLB protocol for concussions. But a much improved state with Mookie. He will join us in Detroit and probably begin baseball activities at that point."
Betts will begin the exertion testing by testing himself on the treadmill and bike, among other things.
"But even when he says he runs upstairs, there's no dizziness, there's no pressure in the head," Farrell said. "That wasn't the case two days ago, so like I said seemingly he's turned the corner."