Mookie Betts was back in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup on Sunday after getting Saturday off in an attempt to bust his season-long batting slump. But there was a twist to Betts’ return.
Betts batted leadoff, moving Shohei Ohtani to the No. 2 spot in the batting order. Ohtani has hit in the leadoff spot in all of the 97 games he’s played for the Dodgers this season.
Manager Dave Roberts says this is a temporary move for Betts, who last batted leadoff in June 2024.
The intention is to change Betts’ approach at the plate, focusing on getting on base and taking good at-bats, according to Roberts. Betts will likely move out of the leadoff spot when Max Muncy returns from the injured list, expected to happen in two weeks or so.
Betts was 0-for-12 in his past three games and Roberts decided to give him a day off after seeing that he was chasing pitches out of the strike zone more frequently. He’s currently putting up the worst numbers of his career, batting .241/.311/.377 in 395 plate appearances, and spent the All-Star break at home in Nashville working on his swing.
Sunday didn’t provide any relief as Betts went 1-for-5 in the Dodgers’ 6-5 loss. Following a first-inning strikeout, Betts broke his hitless streak with a single to centerfield in the bottom of the third and came around on Ohtani’s home run several pitches later. Betts followed with a groundout in the fifth, a fly-ball out in the eighth and a line-out to end the Dodgers’ rally in the ninth.
Prior to Saturday’s decision, Roberts didn’t appear to believe that moving Betts to a different spot in the batting order was a solution.
“I just don’t know if hitting him first or ninth or anywhere between changes where he’s at mechanically,” Roberts told reporters. “I think he’s very sold on the fact that he’s gotta clean some things up mechanically.”
Betts echoed those thoughts when talking to reporters about the lineup change before Sunday’s game, saying his issues are more about finding the right feel with his swing.
Whether the move affects Ohtani could also be a concern. The Dodgers’ designated hitter is batting .274/.379/.604 with 33 home runs, 63 RBI and 13 stolen bases. When he missed two games while on paternity leave earlier this season, Tommy Edman batted leadoff.
Another decision that the Dodgers may have to consider with Betts is whether to move him from shortstop back to second base or right field. He’s played the position full-time this season with good defense according to advanced metrics, credited with seven Defensive Runs Saved and three Outs Above Average.
The Dodgers have others who could play the position with Edman, Miguel Rojas and Hyeseong Kim.
Meanwhile, Roberts wasn’t happy about Teoscar Hernández’s play in right field in Saturday’s 8-7 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, criticizing how he played a third-inning line drive by Blake Perkins that became a triple.
“That ball’s gotta be a double, it’s got to be cut off,” Roberts told reporters. “Those are little things that can’t happen.”
The Dodgers (58-41) have lost their first two games since the All-Star break and 11 of their past 13.
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