Dodgers double down on Mookie Betts decision

Mookie Betts remains the Achilles’ heel of the Dodgers offense this season, and manager Dave Roberts is trying to bring him back to his best. At this point in the campaign, the 32-year-old’s underwhelming performance has opened the door to a conversation that once seemed unthinkable – dropping him further down the lineup. That possibility is now on the table, given how ineffective his recent at-bats have been.

“The more I think about it, Mookie is somebody I’m not going to hit lower in the order,” Roberts said. “I just feel you weigh the options, the alternatives and things like that, I’m going to continue to believe in him and trust that he’s the best option, whether it’s in the one or the two, and that’s what we’re going to roll with.

Roberts fully trusts Betts

“So I think the questions are fair as far as moving him down … but this guy is a premium player and he’s just in this extended funk. But he’s going to work his way out of this. I just feel the best version of our ballclub is him somewhere at the top of the order.”

Mookie Betts recently moved from second to first in the batting order, but his performance didn’t improve and his slump persisted. This season, he’s hitting .236 with a .308 OBP, a .361 slugging percentage, and a .669 OPS. Since his last three-hit game, his average has dropped to .187 with a .533 OPS. Faced with persistent struggles at the plate, Betts moved back to second in the lineup, a position he’ll remain in, manager Dave Roberts confirmed.

“For me, it’s not giving him any out. It’s appreciating he’s the best option we have at the top, near the top. If that’s not confidence from a manager to a player, I don’t know what is, when you’re scuffling and you’re going through it, that I’m not going to waver. … My only ask for him, and I’ve told him this, is, ‘I want you to have as much confidence in yourself as I do. And it’ll turn’,” concluded Dave Roberts.

Betts responds in style

That vote of confidence paid off Tuesday, when the crowd at Chávez Ravine gave Mookie Betts a standing ovation in his first at-bat. The player responded with one of his best performances, going 4-for-3 with a walk in the Dodgers’ 66th win over the Cardinals. However, there’s still a long way to go, and he’ll have to stay on that path if he wants to be consistent again by the start of the playoffs.

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