Milwaukee — Superstitions about Mookie Betts are among the things that never go away. The Los Angeles Dodgers player is not a fan of ghosts, which is problematic because the historic Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, where the Dodgers and most visiting clubs stay while in town, is said to be haunted by the paranormal.
So Betts got an Airnb in Milwaukee last year instead of staying with the club.
This season, Betts stuck to the same plan despite shifting positions and the Dodgers squad rotating like a never-ending machine.
“Don’t want to mess with them,” Betts said.
Thus, Betts reserved a different Airbnb in the vicinity for this week. Then, on Monday, Betts made his way back to the outfield for the first time in 306 days after being placed on the injured list. It was his first time hitting second since 2020. And the Dodgers made further progress toward becoming anything close to complete.
“Hopefully we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said.
Wearing a protection over the left hand he fractured in a June hit-by-pitch, Betts had to wait until Shohei Ohtani popped out in the first inning before he got up to bat. Right-hander Freddy Peralta of the Milwaukee Brewers delivered a fastball that rode up and in near his hand on the third pitch he saw. After he was hit by four pitches, Betts waved through the third strike and swung at a slider hard enough to land in the left-handed batter’s box.
During his second at-bat, he successfully hit a two-run home run off of an inside fastball delivered by Peralta.
WELCOME BACK, Mookie Betts! pic.twitter.com/dsRz2LyKwW
— MLB (@MLB) August 13, 2024
With the exception of playing his third position in less than a year, not much about this is new for Betts. Last season, he appeared in 70 games at second base. This year, he added, relearning shortstop was a task that, in the words of several teammates, revitalized him. He is not going to return to right field, where he has six Gold Gloves. He claimed that returning there will, if anything, help him “go to sleep with a clear mind” as opposed to worrying about the infield learning curve.
“I’m not, like, living life, looking for challenges, so especially like that,” Betts said. “Nor do I care what the challenge is. I’ll be ready for whatever. But right now the challenge is winning a World Series, and that’s hard enough.”
If the Dodgers can manage anything approaching health, deciding who stays on the roster and who does not might prove to be a greater difficulty.
There was one surprise, at least, in Betts’ homecoming. Two weeks after Amed Rosario was acquired by the Dodgers in a move that happened just before the trade deadline, the team designated him for assignment. With the season, the utility man was still hitting.305. Even with the swarm of extra help the Dodgers anticipate, this move seems confusing at first. Kiké Hernández and Chris Taylor (who is still on the disabled list) were among the utility types that the team had already added, along with Rosario and Tommy Edman, suggesting that they had added redundancy to their roster.
“We had a tough decision, tough conversation,” manager Dave Roberts said of the Rosario move.
Gomes clarified that, should any of their injured players need additional time, the Rosario deal is only a temporary fix that may turn into a permanent one. The return deadlines have becoming shorter. Betts returned on Monday. The Dodgers should be back from this road trip next week, bringing Max Muncy and Edman with them. The Dodgers have made it clear that they see Rosario as a platoon player; any possible starts prior to Muncy or Edman’s return were eliminated by the team’s upcoming slate of right-handed pitchers.
“This,” Gomes said, “was how things played out.”
In the upcoming days, Rosario will most likely be claimed on waivers. Roberts said as much to Rosario, 28, when he broke the news to her on Sunday afternoon.
“(I) look forward to seeing him sometime in the postseason,” Roberts said. He added that the Dodgers, for as much as their depth has been tested by a glut of injuries this summer, are “kind of in bed with the guys that we have.”
Throughout the coming week, that group will continue to shift. By benching Rosario, Hernández, who came into Monday hitting.278/.342/.444 since the All-Star break (ostensibly in part because he wears new spectacles to correct his right eye’s astigmatism), has a better opportunity to continue playing until Muncy returns to third base. Hernández and Nick Ahmed cover shortstop while the Dodgers start 35-year-old Miguel Rojas there. This situation should clear up when Muncy returns as well.
Apart from Teoscar Hernández, the Dodgers’ outfield productivity has been appalling this season. However, on Monday, when Betts returned to right field, that output immediately received an MVP-caliber bump. Regaining Edman will also be beneficial. He can play middle infield depth, but he will mostly play center field. Jason Heyward, who Roberts described as a “stalwart” in right field only two weeks ago and who has mostly started against right-handed pitching, may see less playing time if Edman moves in. Andy Pages, a rookie who is a perfect fit in right field and has been covering center field with Kevin Kiermaier for the past week, is expected to see less playing time as a result.
In addition, they will need to decide where to accommodate Walker Buehler, who is expected back on Wednesday, and Ryan Brasier, who is expected back in St. Louis this weekend.
“I do think that this is, with this roster right now as we look out, is the best version of our team,” Roberts said.
Being reunited with Ohtani, Betts, and Freddie Freeman as the Dodgers’ MVP trio? They sincerely hope that this will not alter very soon.
(Top photo of Mookie Betts: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
