Dodgers move Mookie Betts down batting order amid renewed struggles
PHILADELPHIA –– The Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup had a new look on Monday. And at least one of the changes will stick for the time being.
The most notable difference for the team’s series-opener against the Philadelphia Phillies was that streaking utility man Tommy Edman was bumped up to the No. 3 spot, getting a move up the order and a start at third base. Max Muncy has the day off against left-handed Philadelphia ace Cristopher Sánchez.
The more permanent move, however, was shortstop Mookie Betts being bumped down a spot to the five-hole, where manager Dave Roberts said he will stay for the foreseeable future as he battles yet another slump at the plate.
“Right now,” Roberts said, “I just wanted to give Mookie a different look.”
A few weeks ago, Betts finally seemed to be emerging from an early-season slump. After hitting .181 through June 12 –– and missing more than a month following an oblique strain in early April –– he went on a 17-game tear that included that .375 average, five home runs, five doubles and 12 RBIs.
It was the best the 33-year-old had looked in more than two years, going back to the broken hand that derailed his MVP-caliber start to the 2024 campaign.
Since then, however, Betts’ old, inconsistent form as a hitter has re-emerged.
He entered Monday just 4-for-38 in his last 11 games, and hitless in 14-straight at-bats dating back to June 11.
“It’s not for lack of effort, work,” Roberts said of Betts, whose season batting average has dipped back down to .226 and OPS to .690. “About a month ago, yeah, we all felt that he turned the corner. And then the last few weeks, it just hasn’t been there.”
When asked if Betts’ up-and-down production is just a symptom of his age, with the former MVP now in his 13th MLB season, Roberts said there was no “easy answer.”
“I think that he’s better than what he’s showing, I do believe that,” Roberts said.
But, he added, “Do I have the expectations of when he was considerably younger, playing the outfield? No, I don’t. I think that’s an unfair expectation. I have a hard time really answering what my expectation is.”
Roberts noted that Betts still “helps us win baseball games” with his defense at shortstop, which is again grading out as among the best in the league at the position (after he was a Gold Glove finalist in his first full season as a shortstop last year).
However, Roberts acknowledged, “we still need him to perform.”
“I feel like hitting him fifth versus second, third or fourth, I still think takes a little bit of offensive strain, given the position he’s playing,” Roberts said.
Moving forward, Roberts said Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy will occupy the Nos. 3 and 4 spots in front of Betts.
Edman, meanwhile, will likely return to a bottom-half spot after Monday –– though he is continuing to push for a more permanent move up the order with a .355 batting average and .957 OPS in 25 games since returning from an offseason ankle surgery.
- Admin
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