Mookie Betts reacts after he struck out against the New York Mets.
The Los Angeles Dodgers‘ offense is struggling at the moment. Over the team’s last five games, they are averaging just 2.4 runs/game and are 2-3 in that span. Since July 15th, the team has been just 7-9. Los Angeles is in the middle of a tight division race with the San Diego Padres, and can’t afford for their “high-octane” offense to be sputtering like this.
There was some good news about Monday’s 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, and that was Max Muncy’s return to the lineup, following Tommy Edman being placed on the Injured List with a right ankle injury. Muncy should provide some assistance and depth to the lineup, but many players are slumping. That includes the Dodgers one-two in the batting order in Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts. Ohtani isn’t going anywhere, but is it time to demote Betts to the bottom of the order?
Dave Roberts Should Move Mookie Down in the Order
This would be a tough decision for Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who always has the utmost confidence in his players to turn things around, but Betts continues to fall further into his slump. The Los Angeles fans tried to stage a small standing ovation for Betts after a long road trip, but it didn’t seem to help. He has no hits in his last 23 plate appearances and has worked just one walk. At this point, he is a massive hole in the lineup, which is putting the offense behind at both the start and finish of games.
There have been reports that Roberts may move him down in the order, but for now, it seems he’s content with letting Betts try and work out of it. Mookie is one of the most professional players as a pro, as he’s a 12-year MLB veteran, but this is uncharted territory for the eight-time All-Star. There is speculation that it could be because of his primary defensive change to shortstop, which took place this year. Last year, Betts had played the majority of shortstop for the regular season and performed fine offensively. 2025 marked the first time Betts had not been an All-Star since 2015 (excluding 2020).
Mookie’s Numbers Are Not Pretty
After mentioning the rough slump Betts has been in, his season numbers are not very pretty either. The 32-year-old Betts is at a career-low .231 batting average, and is on pace to finish the season with an OPS below .700. Betts has never finished a season with an OPS lower than .800 in his big-league career. The home runs just haven’t been there for Betts this season, and part of last season as well. In his last 219 games, Betts has just 30 long balls. He was a player you could once count on to get 30 homers in a season without a problem.
It’s unclear whether it’s a mechanical thing or a mental block for Betts, but Roberts is put in a difficult situation here. Betts is starting to become a detriment to the team, and moving him down in the order might be the right decision.
