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Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts changed up his lineup again Sunday as Mookie Betts continues to struggle. Roberts moved Betts to leadoff on July 20 in an attempt to spark him, but it took just 12 games for the manager to make another change. Betts moved down to second in the order for Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, with Shohei Ohtani moving back to the leadoff spot.
Roberts is at a loss for words when it comes to Betts' struggles, according to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register. The 32-year-old is having the least productive season of his career, hitting just .235 with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs. He has never finished a season with an OPS under .800, but it sat at just .667 entering Sunday's game.
Mookie Betts, Dodgers scuffling in the dog days of summer
Mookie Betts' woes seemingly hit rock bottom in July. The Dodgers star slashed just .205/.261/.325 in the month, and he went 0-for-8 in the first two games of August. Overall, he went 8-for-43 (.189) with a .265 OBP and .498 OPS since the lineup change. He also had a brief absence from the team due to a death in the family.
As Betts has struggled and injuries have piled up on the roster, Los Angeles has been puttering along this summer. While the Dodgers are still in first place in the NL West, their 64-47 record is not where many thought it would be at this point given the sheer amount of talent on the roster. LA entered play Sunday with a three-game lead over the San Diego Padres.
The good news for the Dodgers is Max Muncy is coming back soon from a knee injury, which will lead to Roberts having to make another decision about the lineup.
“It's kind of just trying to figure out what's best short term,” Roberts said, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com. “Longer term, we've got Munce coming back soon. Will [Smith's] not playing every day, obviously, as a catcher. … This was the best lineup for today. And that's kind of where I'm at right now.”
Roberts is certainly hoping Betts will find his hitting stroke soon. While the Dodgers are loaded, they likely need Mookie Betts to be much better in order to repeat as World Series champions.
