Betts played 72 games as a primary middle infielder in 2024.
Mookie Betts was tasked as the Dodgers’ primary shortstop during spring training this year, and the results were a mixed bag at best.
After posting a -4 outs above average at shortstop and after missing two months of time due to a fractured left hand, Betts returned to right field, a position where he has captured six Gold Glove awards.
Betts will now be returning to the infield ahead of the 2025 season, as team General Manager Brandon Gomes confirmed that he will return to either second base or shortstop as his primary position.
“I mean, these conversations were like, ‘Hey, let’s figure out Mookie and how he fits into the infield,’” Gomes said. “It could be second, it could be short. We don’t really know yet. We need to continue to have those conversations. But I think it’s much more [that] Mookie’s looking to get back in the infield more than anything else.”
With Betts returning to the infield, the Dodgers still have a flurry of outfield option they can choose from, even with Teoscar Hernández currently being a free agent. Miguel Rojas and Tommy Edman provided a solid tandem at shortstop, with Edman showing his defensive versatility in center field. Andy Pages has corner outfield experience already at the major league level, and the team still has James Outman and Chris Taylor for the voids in center and left field.
The Dodgers are still in play to add a middle infielder in free agency, but with Betts returning to the infield, the team could look to add an elite corner outfielder on the open market. Teoscar Hernández has already expressed his desire to return to the team, and the Dodgers are one of many teams keeping their eyes on the biggest bat on the open market in Juan Soto.
A return to the infield could also allow the Dodgers’ top prospect Dalton Rushing to see some action in the outfield next season. The catcher displayed some newfound defensive versatility between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City last season, tallying 278 1⁄3 combined innings in left field. Ryan Ward is another Triple-A option the Dodgers could call up to fill a corner outfield slot. The 26-year-old showed an uptick in power in 120 games with Oklahoma City, slashing .258/.317/.543 with 33 home runs— leading the entire Pacific Coast League— and 101 RBIs.