CLEVELAND — For much of his time at shortstop, it has seemed like a temporary assignment for Mookie Betts.
Originally pressed into service at the position late in spring training 2024, the Dodgers moved the six-time Gold Glove winner back to right field for the final two months of the season after he returned from a fractured hand. Tommy Edman or Miguel Rojas started all of the Dodgers’ postseason games at shortstop.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn’t see a similar move as necessary this year.
“I don’t see us making a change even as we did last year. I don’t see that happening,” Roberts said. “He’s a major league shortstop on a championship club.”
Betts threw himself into learning the position last winter, working out at the new position daily and seeking out instruction from a two-time Gold Glove winner at the position, Troy Tulowitzki. The result has been significant improvement. Most metrics rank Betts among the top half dozen everyday shortstops.
“I would say, right now he’s playing above average shortstop … a tick above major-league average, which is amazing considering he just took this position up,” Roberts said. “And he’s only getting better.”
One area that could still get better, Roberts said, is “just kind of knowing where he’s at in the position, and where to be with when the ball is hit in different parts, where there’d be cut-offs and things like that.”
“But I think his ability to get off on the ball is as good as anybody in baseball. His first step,” he said.
The dedication to defense seems to be taking away from his offense. Fifty-two games into his season, Betts was hitting just .257 with a .750 OPS, numbers that would be career lows by far.
“I would say the bat has just – he just hasn’t been able to find his stroke consistently,” Roberts said. “He’s just, as most hitters say, he’s grinding. So he’s in a constant grind right now.”
Betts lost considerable weight from a virus that sidelined him for the Dodgers’ games in Tokyo. But he actually hit better right after that (.311 with a .937 OPS in his first 12 games) than he has since (.242 and .696 in the next 40 games).
“Once he came back, there was a couple of weeks where he was swinging the bat really well,” Roberts said. “So I just think he just sort of got out of some mechanical things that he’s fighting with.”
SITUATIONAL HITTING
The Dodgers went into Wednesday’s game leading the majors in batting with runners in scoring position. Their .310 team batting average has been boosted by two players, in particular. Will Smith was a best-in-the-majors 20 for 42 (.476) and Teoscar Hernandez was 21 for 47 (.447) in those situations through Tuesday.
“I think the common thread to start is, there’s a value in runs batted in,” Roberts said. “I think that they really value getting a hit and driving in a run. And they’re just good hitters. I think this day and age, guys just don’t value driving in a run. And they don’t know how to get a base hit. And I think those two guys are very good at it.”
The situational hitting is just part of a terrific start for Smith who went into Wednesday batting .333 with a NL-leading .456 on-base percentage, 28 RBIs and a .967 OPS. Smith has gotten off to good starts most seasons recently but has faded offensively in the second half.
“He’s swinging the bat great, playing great, all around playing good baseball,” Roberts said. “He controls the hitting zone. He’s hitting balls in the zone considerably better than he did the second half of last year. I know he’s healthy. I think we’re doing a good job of managing his workload. And with that, he’s just, he’s driving in runs, getting on base.”
UP NEXT
The Dodgers are off Thursday.
Yankees (TBA) at Dodgers (RHP Tony Gonsolin, 2-1, 4.68 ERA), Friday, 7:10 p.m. Apple TV+, 570 AM