Mookie Betts is out of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup due to personal reasons as the team begins their road trip against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
On Wednesday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revelaed the possibility of Betts not being with the team due to something he’s dealing with off the field.
“I know there’s some things going on personally for him, so I’ve got to talk to him,” Roberts said. We’ll see if he’s going to be there for the Friday game.
“There might be some things going on that he might not be around, that he’s got to deal with personally. But everything is OK with him, so we’ll see.”
It’s currently unclear when Betts exactly will be back with the Dodgers, although the expectation is he should be in the lineup on Saturday.
Betts spent the first six years of his career with the Red Sox before being traded to the Dodgers. In his career at Fenway Park, the 32-year-old has hit .320/.388/.546 with 66 home runs, 257 RBI and 323 runs scored.
This year, Betts has been in a prolonged slump. The former American League MVP is hitting just .238/.309/.370 with 11 home runs, 59 runs scored, 45 RBI and a 90 wRC+.
Coming out of the All-Star break, Roberts benched Betts in effort to help him get back on track through a mental break. Then the following day, Roberts decided to move Betts into the leadoff role, hoping it would help spark his offense.
Betts has gone 3-for-17 with three runs scored, one double, two walks and two strikeouts in four games as the Dodgers’ new leadoff hitter.
Dodgers without Mookie Betts
Without Betts in the lineup, the Dodgers went back to utilizing Shohei Ohtani in their leadoff spot, where he’s spent most of the season.
Miguel Rojas is filling in at shortstop, where Betts has started 93 of the Dodgers’ 103 games this year.
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