Betts went 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs Thursday in a 9-5 victory against the Rockies.
Betts got a turn in the leadoff slot with Shohei Ohtani (thigh) given a rest day. The outfielder-turned-shortstop set the table well in the series finale, reaching four times and scoring twice. Betts went through an 0-for-20 five-game stretch from late July to early August that brought his season batting average down to .231, but he's bounced back nicely since, slashing .351/.415/.491 with two homers, nine RBI, 14 runs and a 6:4 BB:K over his past 14 contests. Betts' .689 OPS on the campaign is still tracking toward his worst career mark by far, but he's at least surging at the right time as the Dodgers head into the stretch with a one-game lead over San Diego in the NL West.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Taking seat Wednesday
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Betts is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.
Betts started the previous 21 games and has an .865 OPS in his past 54 at-bats, but he will receive Wednesday off in Colorado, Miguel Rojas will step in at shortstop and bat eighth versus Rockies righty Tanner Gordon.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Smacks go-ahead homer
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Betts went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two total runs scored in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Padres.
Betts posted an eight-game hitting streak between Aug. 5-13, though he opened this critical weekend series versus the Padres by going 0-for-6 over the first two games. The 32-year-old's first hit of the series was clutch, as he put the Dodgers ahead for good in the eighth inning after the bullpen squandered a lead. Betts is still dealing with some inconsistency at the plate, batting a modest .254 (15-for-59) with four extra-base hits over 15 games in August. Overall, he's hitting .242 with a .683 OPS, 13 homers, 57 RBI, 75 runs scored and eight stolen bases over 114 contests.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Enters starting nine
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Betts will start at shortstop and bat second Wednesday against the Angels.
Betts was left off the initial lineup card the Dodgers handed in Wednesday, but he'll end up back in the starting nine and aim to extend his hitting streak to eight games. Max Muncy will step out of the lineup to make room for Betts, shifting Alex Freeland to third base and Miguel Rojas to second.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Receiving break Wednesday
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Betts is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Betts has found his groove at the plate recently with a .400 average (12-for-30) over the past seven games, but he'll take a seat for the series finale in Anaheim. Miguel Rojas will receive a start at shortstop Wednesday for the Dodgers.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Goes yard Friday
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Betts went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, an additional RBI and two total runs scored in Friday's 5-1 win over the Blue Jays.
Betts' fifth-inning homer was ultimately all the Dodgers needed in the win, but he plated another run as part of a rally in the seventh. The 32-year-old could be sparking a better stretch at the plate -- he's 6-for-12 with three extra-base hits over his last three games, rebounding from an 0-for-20 skid prior to that. Overall, it's still been an underwhelming campaign for Betts, who is slashing .239/.309/.371 with 12 homers, 51 RBI, 68 runs scored and eight stolen bases through 106 contests.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Gets on base four times
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Betts went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and three runs scored in Tuesday's 12-6 win over the Cardinals.
Betts entered Tuesday 0-for-20 over his previous five games. His lack of production has been a hot topic of conversation, but manager Dave Roberts has no plans of dropping Betts in the order. He's now gone a month without a homer, batting just .186 (16-for-86) with four doubles and four RBI over that 22-game sample. Overall, the 32-year-old has a .236/.308/.361 slash line, 11 homers, 48 RBI, 66 runs scored, 16 doubles, one triple and eight stolen bases through 104 contests this season.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Sticking in top of order
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Betts will continue to hit in the top two spots of the batting order despite his recent struggles, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
Manager Dave Roberts stated in his pregame presser that moving Betts down in the order isn't in the game plan at this time. "You've got to think of the alternatives. How guys are swinging right now and the way I look at our lineup and the way guys are swinging, there's not better alternative," said Roberts. "Also, given that Will Smith doesn't play every day, you're trying to not mix and match the top of the order when the catcher plays three out of four or whatever it is. So that's kind of the math." Betts has been scuffling at the dish for a good part of the last month, slashing .167/.219/.265 with two home runs, seven RBI, two stolen bases and 12 runs scored over his last 26 matchups but should continue to see opportunities to produce atop the Dodgers' batting order.
Betts went 2-for-4 with a walk, a steal and three runs scored in Monday's 5-2 victory over the Reds.
Betts drew his sixth straight start in the leadoff spot and snapped a 30-game stretch without a steal when he stole second in the seventh inning. Since drawing his first start as the leadoff batter July 20, the former MVP has hit .231 (6-for-26) with six runs, one RBI and four walks as manager Dave Roberts seeks a way to kickstart Betts' bat. Through 425 total plate appearances, the 32-year-old is slashing .240/.313/.372 with 11 homers, 62 runs scored and 46 RBI.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Rejoins lineup Sunday
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Betts (personal) is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff Sunday against the Red Sox.
The 32-year-old didn't start the first two games versus Boston due to a personal matter, but he made an appearance as a pinch hitter in Saturday's contest. Betts has gone 3-for-30 over his past eight games, dropping his slash line for the season to .237/.308/.369, all of which would be career worsts.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Remains out of lineup Saturday
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Betts (personal) is not in the starting lineup Saturday versus Boston, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Betts missed Friday's series opener to tend to a personal matter, and he's absent from the starting nine again Saturday. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Betts is expected to arrive in Boston around game time Saturday, so it appears his absence from the lineup is a matter of timing. If Betts gets to the ballpark during the contest, he could enter at some point during the game, but Miguel Rojas is getting another start at shortstop in the meantime.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Not in lineup
Rotowire
Betts (personal) isn't in the starting nine for Friday's game against the Red Sox.
Manager Dave Roberts said after Wednesday's game that Betts may be away from the team Friday for personal reasons. Betts is out of the lineup, so it's safe to assume that he will be unavailable for the contest. Per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Betts is expected to rejoin the team Saturday, but it's unclear if he'll be part of the starting nine.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: May be out Friday
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Manager Dave Roberts said after Wednesday's win over the Twins that Betts may not be with the team Friday due to personal reasons, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
It hasn't yet been confirmed if Betts will be unavailable for Friday's series opener in Boston, but it's certainly a situation worth monitoring. Miguel Rojas would presumably start at shortstop if the eight-time All-Star is unable to play.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Remains in leadoff spot Monday
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Betts is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff Monday against the Twins.
Betts was placed in the leadoff spot for the first time since June of last season on Sunday against the Brewers and went 1-for-5 with one run scored. Manager Dave Roberts is sticking with Betts atop the order, as the reeling Dodgers look for something to jumpstart the offense. With Betts in the top spot, Shohei Ohtani is again batting second. Betts has underwhelmed during his age-32 campaign, slashing .240/.310/.374 with 11 home runs, 45 RBI, 57 runs scored, six stolen bases and a 36:45 BB:K across 400 plate appearances.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Back in lineup, leading off Sunday
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Betts is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff Sunday versus Milwaukee, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Betts was given a day off to reset Saturday, but his absence will end up lasting just one day. the 32-year-old will also hit leadoff in his return -- according to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, it's the first time Betts will be batting atop the order since June 2024. Shohei Ohtani, who has been the Dodgers' leadoff hitter this season, is batting second as manager Dave Roberts shakes things up following the team's two-game skid coming out of the All-Star break.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Won't be moved down in order
Rotowire
Though Betts got a day off Saturday and may sit again Sunday, he won't be moved below the No. 2 spot in the batting order despite his season-long struggles, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
It's been a tough campaign so far for Betts, who didn't play during the Dodgers' two-game, season-opening set against the Cubs in Tokyo due to an illness and hasn't put up his usual numbers at the plate. The outfielder-turned-shortstop has posted just a .688 OPS through 90 contests, which would be his first time with an OPS below .800 as a big leaguer. After Betts went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Los Angeles' first game out of the break, manager Dave Roberts elected to give him a day off for a reset, and it's TBD whether Betts will be back in the lineup Sunday. Nonetheless, Roberts has decided not to move the eight-time All-Star down in the order, saying, "I just don't know if hitting him first or ninth or anywhere in between changes where he's at mechanically. I think he's very sold on the fact that he's got to clean some things up mechanically. Where you hit in the order isn't going to change that." The decision to keep Betts near the top of the order bodes well for his fantasy production (despite his struggles, Betts has scored a healthy 56 runs), though managers who invested heavily in the usually dependable veteran on draft day have largely been let down by his numbers this season.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: On bench Saturday
Rotowire
Betts isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Brewers, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
After starting the month of July with a .188/.212/.354 slash line through 52 plate appearances, Betts will get a day off to regroup Saturday. Miguel Rojas will pick up a start at shortstop as a result and bat ninth.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Continued uptick in power
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Betts went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a double in a loss to Houston on Saturday.
Betts supplied two of the Dodgers' three extra-base hits in the loss, tagging Framber Valdez for a first-inning solo homer and adding a double in the seventh. The veteran superstar made a baserunning blunder on the two-bagger, as he was thrown out trying to stretch the hit to a triple with no outs in the inning, but the positive takeaway is that Betts seems to be regaining his power stroke -- following a 20-game stretch without a long ball, he's gone deep in two of his past three games. Betts is at 11 home runs on the campaign, so he's still a long way away from reaching the career-high mark of 39 that he set two seasons ago.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Knocks 10th homer
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Betts went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Thursday's 6-2 win over the White Sox.
Betts tacked on an insurance run with his seventh-inning blast, which was his 10th homer of the season. He had gone 0-for-12 over his previous three games, and the 32-year-old hadn't hit a homer since June 8 in St. Louis. For the season, Betts has struggled far more than usual with a .246/.321/.383 slash line while adding 43 RBI, 53 runs scored, six stolen bases, 11 doubles and one triple across 80 contests. His plate discipline remains excellent, so it looks like Betts is just working through a slump in the middle of the season.
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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: Getting rest Tuesday
Rotowire
Betts isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Betts will get a chance to regroup Tuesday after going 0-for-8 with two strikeouts over his last two contests. Hyeseong Kim will take over at shortstop and bat ninth for the Dodgers.