As the Los Angeles Dodgers look to repeat as World Series Champions, the historic franchise will need its star-studded roster to rise to the occasion again this season.
Among those stars is Mookie Betts, who has accomplished just about everything the sport of baseball has to offer.
The latest hurdle in his career is his season-long slump.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had briefly benched Betts before moving him to the leadoff spot in the lineup on July 20.
Roberts tried switching Betts and Shohei into the first two spots for 11 games, hoping it would create a spark for Betts.
“I’ve done everything possible,” Betts told reporters on Sunday in Tampa. “It’s just kind of the same result. I’m out of answers. I’ve done everything I can do. It’s up to God at this point.”
The manager decided to move Betts back to second in the batting order on Sunday with Ohtani now back to leadoff in the lineup. He would go 0-for-3 and is now 0-for-16 over the last four games.
Betts has a .233 batting average this season with 93 hits, 11 home runs and 48 runs batted in. He has a career-low .664 OPS this season.
Betts has averaged 142 hits, 94 runs, 24 home runs, and 73 RBI throughout his career. He also has a .290 career batting average and a .881 career OPS.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently moved Betts from the leadoff spot to second in the lineup with the hope that it can help make a difference.
“I thought yesterday in a vacuum that he had a good offensive day,” Roberts told reporters before Sunday’s game. “I really did. I thought he had good at-bats. … Other days it looks like he is lost.”
Roberts did not completely shy away from the possibility of still moving Betts around in the lineup, but a lot of it may depend on what he sees from Betts going forward and what the rest of the roster looks like in terms of health.
Max Muncy is expected to return to the Dodgers’ lineup soon and has been playing for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets this past weekend. There is a possibility that Betts could continue to shift around in the lineup after Muncy returns.
On Betts, Roberts expressed his desire to “instill my faith in him and confidence in him.”
“I know he is frustrated and obviously at a point now where he wants results, which I can appreciate, but hopefully he can build off the at-bats quality from yesterday,” Roberts added.
Betts continues to work closely with his hitting coaches to refine his mechanics at the plate, but the Dodgers manager believes that there may be a mental aspect contributing to the slump.
Off the field, it has been just as tough a season for Betts.
Before the start of the season, Betts was dealing with an undiagnosed illness that caused him to lose approximately 18 pounds in a two-week span and he was throwing up every time he had solid foods. He did undergo necessary blood work and vital tests, but everything came back normal.
Betts recently spent a few days away from the Dodgers to be with his family, located in Nashville.
“My stepdad passed, so I had to go home,” Betts told reporters on July 27. “(He’s) been there in my life from fourth grade until now, so that was tough for me and the family.
“I just had to be there for my mom and my brothers and sisters. It’s just a tough time and there’s no real way to really explain something like that outside of just being there and spending time with the family.”
When will Mookie Betts and the Dodgers play next?
Betts and the Dodgers will play six games at home this week. The St. Louis Cardinals will start a three-game series with the Dodgers on Monday, Aug. 4 at 10:10 p.m. ET.
The Toronto Blue Jays will visit Dodger Stadium for a three-game series starting Friday, Aug. 8.
