Cody Snavely
What should have been an exciting victory and series win over the Kansas City Royals on Father’s Day Sunday was ruined by one 98mph fastball out of right-handed relief pitcher Dan Altavilla‘s hand, which ran in and plunked all-star shortstop Mookie Betts.
The sudden pain and collapse of Betts sent shockwaves through the crowd at Dodgers Stadium, a moment that reverberated on social media as fans feared the worst. The collective gasp and the subsequent outpouring of concern on social platforms underscored the emotional impact of the injury.
After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed the worst possible outcome: a fractured left hand for Betts, who would miss a significant amount of time. However, the silver lining is that the hand would not require surgery, meaning it is not a season-ending injury.
It’s a big blow. It is; I feel really bad for Mookie. He was obviously having an MVP-type season. It’s very unfortunate. You’ve got to move on and that’s what we’re going to do. But for me, it’s more for Mookie personally.
Dave Roberts on the loss of Mookie Betts
However, it will be quite some time before we see Mookie Betts bat leadoff again, as he and the Dodgers do not have a firm timetable for his return yet.
The Dodgers lineup, which is already missing left-handed power bat Max Muncy, an inconsistent bottom of the lineup, and a team that has struggled to hit with runners in scoring position, will be without arguably their most productive player for the majority of the summer.
How important is Betts to the Dodgers?
Betts has been the team’s best and most consistent player since being traded to the Dodgers from the Boston Red Sox in the 2019 offseason. He has been a massive reason why the Dodgers have had multiple hundred-plus-win seasons during his tenure.
Since the 2020 regular season, the Dodgers have been 357-186 in games started by Mookie Betts, which equates to a .657 winning percentage. In games that Betts does not appear in, the Dodgers have been 47-29, a .618 winning percentage, a thirty-nine-point drop.
In his five years in Los Angeles, Betts has hit .285/.377/.532 with 134 doubles, eleven triples, 123 home runs, and 326 RBI in 543 games while also finishing top five in National League MVP voting in 2020, 2022, and 2023.
Betts had his best full season in Dodger Blue in 2023, where he finished runner-up in the NL MVP, hitting .307/.408/.579 with a 163 OPS+ and setting a career-high with 39 home runs and 107 RBIs from the leadoff spot. These numbers also earned him his third career Silver Slugger award and, as mentioned, 2nd in NL MVP voting behind Ronald Acuna Jr.s historic season.
However, Betts’s defensive versatility truly showed how valuable he was to the organization, as he played games in right field, second base, and shortstop.
Fast-forward to 2024, and Betts picked right off of his 2023 season, hitting .368/.452/.585 National League Player of the Month. Collectively, until this point, Betts was still favored by many to win the 2024 NL MVP award as his offensive numbers, despite some decline, remained elite, and the ability to move to shortstop at 31 years old was something that had not been done before.
The loss of Betts’s bat also affected the team’s production with runners-in-scoring position, as in those situations, Betts was one of the Dodgers’ few elite hitters, hitting .359/.452/.585 while also doing damage in those opportunities with an OPS of 1.037 and OPS+ of 179.
The Dodgers as a team are among the worst in the league, with RISP ranking 19th overall in batting average and hitting .251/.340/.396 this season.
Mookie Betts also ranks in the 99th percentile in Batting Run Value, 93rd in xwOBA, 92nd in xBA but has seen a sharp decline in his defense since moving to the infield ranking in the 6th percentile in OAA (outs-above-average)
The most obvious loss is Betts’ departure, which leaves the Dodgers without a leadoff hitter. Betts has stayed in that role since his debut in 2020.
Sho Time for leadoff hitter?
The Dodgers may have plenty of players to consider for the leadoff spot. However, it was a no-brainer to move Shohei Ohtani up to that spot in the lineup, as the team has toyed with the idea of batting the two-way star atop the lineup this season.
Ohtani has played sixty-two career games in the leadoff spot and has hit .305/.339/.678 with a 1.017 OPS, which is a similar salt line to Mookie Betts this season.
While Ohtani has had a great season so far, hitting .309 with a .976 OPS and 174 OPS+, the left-handed hitter has struggled with men on base (.299/.373/.537) and with RISP (.225/.296/.310) compared to a .319/.391/.646 line with no runners on base.
With Ohtani shifting to the leadoff spot, my ideal lineup would be as follows:
- Shohei Ohtani
- Will Smith
- Freddie Freeman
- Teoscar Hernández
- Jason Heyward
- Andy Pages
- Gavin Lux
- Cavan Biggio/Kiké Hernández
- Miguel Rojas
With Ohtani moving to the top as a left-handed hitter, Will Smith would be a logical choice to break up the lefty bats between Ohtani and Freeman.
Teoscar Hernández has been the Dodgers hottest hitter this month with a .264 batting average with fourteen hits, five homers, and twelve RBI. Andy Pages has also been on a tear after a mini-slump, and Gavin Lux has started to hit, with a batting average of over .300 with RISP.
Shortstop Options?
Internally, the Dodgers have limited options to take over the shortstop role, which was a given since Betts has been playing out of position all year, learning the role as he goes.
However, the logical option would be veteran infielder Miguel Rojas, who was the Dodgers primary shortstop in 2023 due to the season-ending injury to Gavin Lux.
Rojas has excelled in his bench role, hitting .278/.328/.444 with a .772 OPS in 108 at-bats in his limited playing time. Defensively, Rojas will be an upgrade over Betts, as Rojas is among the best fielders in baseball, as showcased by his 95th percentile OAA.
The Dodgers could continue to platoon Rojas and have him start games against left-handed pitchers, or they could have Gavin Lux give shortstop a try again and have him start against right-handed pitchers.
If that were the case, the Dodgers could move utility infielders Cavan Biggio, Chris Taylor, and Enrique Hernandez to second and third base.
Externally, the options get thinner, as fellow DodgersBeat writer Steve Webb has already written about below.
However, some realistic options would involve a massive trade for Toronto Blue Jays starting shortstop Bo Bichette, who was rumored with the Dodgers back in the winter after a report from MLB.com’s Juan Toribio.
A cheaper option could be White Sox shortstop Paul DeJong, who has had a decent bounce-back season with Chicago, posting a .769 OPS.
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