"He needed to be down" - Mookie Betts’ season-worst slump deepens as Dodgers skipper keeps former MVP out of lineup

The Los Angeles Dodgers are without All-Star slugger Mookie Betts in the lineup for the second game of the series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

Betts, who has been going through a tough time at the plate since the start of June, has been dropped from the lineup by manager Dave Roberts. According to the Dodgers manager, Betts might also be left out of Sunday's lineup.

"No, this wasn’t scheduled,” Roberts said. “In talking to him, seeing where his head’s at and seeing where he’s at mechanically, I just felt tonight was a night that he needed to be down. He wanted to be out there, but I wanted to take it out of his hands, give him a day to just watch a baseball game.

Roberts feels that the off day might help the former MVP rediscover his form despite coming off a four-day break due to the All-Star festivities.

“I understand that we just had four days off for the (All-Star) break, but showing up to the ballpark and not participating, watching, that’s a different mindset, a different psyche, than being at home. I think for the mind, it will be beneficial.”

Mookie Betts' slump continued in Dodgers' series opener against Brewers

Mookie Betts featured in the Dodgers' first game after the All-Star break on Friday. However, Betts, who is batting .188 with just two home runs in his last 32 games, went 0-for-4 as the team suffered a 2-0 shutout loss.

"He wants to do well — he’s not used to struggling like this,” Roberts said. “I think he’s playing great defense, but there’s a part of you that feels like you’re letting people down, letting the team down. That weight that is natural for him to carry is there. You could kind of see that (Friday) night.”

Mookie Betts is batting well below his career average of .291 this season, slashing .241 with a .688 OPS and 11 homers in 116 games. Despite his struggles, Roberts is unwilling to move the All-Star slugger down the order. He is hitting behind Shohei Ohtani from the lead-off spot.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash