When Mookie Betts comes off the Injured List, he will play shortstop and bat second, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed on Tuesday.
Betts could return as soon as Monday in Milwaukee, according ton ESPN's Alden Gonzalez.
Betts has played 65 games this season at shortstop, as opposed to second base or right field where he has played the majority of his career. He committed nine errors in that time as the positional adjustment proved difficult.
Betts fractured his hand on June 15 and has not played since. While he's been out, the Dodgers played Miguel Rojas at short, then when he got injured, acquired two-time Gold Glove winner Nick Ahmed. With Ahmed on the roster and Rojas nearing a return, it was natural to speculate whether Betts would return to shortstop or go back to where he may be more comfortable. After all, he would be an instant offensive upgrade over Gavin Lux at second or Jason Heyward in right.
This wasn't mere fan chatter, either. USA Today reporter and MLB insider Bob Nightengale reported in early July that it “certainly appears” that Betts would play second or right when he returns.
“The Dodgers love Miguel Rojas’ defense (he has not made an error at shortstop this season), and believe it would be unfair to count on Betts at shortstop in the playoffs after just learning the new position,” he wrote at the time.
As for Betts, he seems ready to go wherever Roberts pencils him in.
“There's a lot of guys that can play shortstop here,” Betts told Dodgers reporter David Vassegh on Monday. “If that's not in the cards then that's cool…I can go from there to anywhere else.”
Mookie Betts will bat second for the Dodgers
Regardless of where he plays in the field, the most important part for the Dodgers is that Betts' bat will be in the lineup. He was the leadoff hitter in all 72 games he played before his injury, but Roberts now wants to split up lefties Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman at the top of the order.
If Betts returns and is his old self, the Dodgers would have arguably the most lethal top third in the game. Ohtani, Freeman, and Betts have combined to hit 60 home runs (and that's with Betts missing the better part of two months), and each has an OPS+ of over 150. When Betts comes back, he'll bring with him a .304 batting average with an .892 OPS and 4.0 bWAR.
All indications are that Betts is ready to come back and contribute at a high level again.
“I don't feel anything at all,” he told Vassegh when asked about pain in his hand.
Roberts said on Monday that Betts will play in a simulated game at Dodger Stadium on Thursday. The Dodgers enter play on Tuesday at 66-47, five games ahead of the San Diego Padres for first place in the National League West. They are the current World Series favorites per FanGraphs' playoff odds.
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