The Dodgers Have Found a Way to Sidestep the Mookie Betts Problem

Los Angeles continues to look like a juggernaut even with a star player performing below replacement level.

Mookie Betts was sidelined for over a month by an oblique strain and has been ineffective since returning. Yet the Dodgers keep on winning. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Mookie Betts returned to action on May 11 from a five-week absence caused by a strained oblique and has yet to look like himself. It’s not an ideal development for the Dodgers as a franchise cornerstone has been a straight-up non-factor for them a third of the way through the season. And yet Los Angeles sits atop the National League Central, enjoying a 2 1/2-game lead over the Padres.

This is what happens when there’s a superteam lording over Major League Baseball. Yes, it’s the big names and immense top-tier talent that catches the eye when you peruse Dave Roberts’s roster. But the depth may be more important. Baseball is a 162-game marathon, a six-month war of attrition just to earn a spot in the knockout round come fall. Having a perennial MVP candidate and beating heart of the clubhouse limping toward June with a -0.4 WAR would spell doom for all but a handful of teams.

Like Don Draper once said, that’s what the money is for. It may not be able to buy happiness yet it can help avoid a bunch of sadness.

Since acquiring Betts in 2020 there have been countless times when the Dodgers leaned on him and asked him to fill a wide variety of roles on and off the field. He’s a unique player because he can answer that call and play pretty much anywhere. With the loss of one premier Swiss Army knife, the organization has simply relied on a few others to pick up his slack.

Through 20 games Betts is slashing .165/.232/.342. He’s hit four home runs but has managed only two doubles across 87 plate appearances. Both of his stolen base attempts have proven unsuccessful. The small sample size has shown some good and bad as his exit velocity and ability to square balls up are looking fine while his bat speed and hard hit percentage are notably down.

Dave Roberts says he sees mechanical and confidence issues with Mookie Betts at the plate since returning from the IL.

Betts is in a brutal slump, hitting .157 (8-for-54) with a .200 OBP, .294 SLG and .494 OPS in May.

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— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) May 26, 2026

Considering his long and established track record, which will surely one day earn him a spot in the Hall of Fame, the safe money is him finding his level and moving back to the mean. His two main backups at shortstop—Miguel Rojas and Hyeseong Kim—haven’t exactly been tearing the cover off the ball either (nine combined extra-base hits in 216 plate appearances) and yet it hasn’t spelled doom.

It kind of goes deeper than Betts, too. Will Smith is having a down year while Kyle Tucker hasn’t provided the type of offensive explosion the team hoped for when it set an average annual value record to sign him this offseason. Edwin Díaz is working his way back from elbow surgery.

A huge part of the Dodgers’ ability to withstand those bumps in the road is catcher Dalton Rushing ascending during a sophomore campaign that features a .902 OPS. Andy Pages has 11 homers and an MLB-best 46 RBIs, and is pacing the team with an NL-best 3.3 WAR. Max Muncy is off to another great start and Shohei Ohtani has a strong yet human-for-him .879 OPS. Even Roki Sasaki may be figuring it out in the rotation as he’s recorded a 3.52 ERA with 21–5 K/BB ratio in four May starts.

Put it all together and the Dodgers are 34–20, good for the third best record in baseball after notching their 18th comeback win of the year Monday. That puts them on pace to break last year’s MLB high set by the Blue Jays, who fell one win short of beating Los Angeles in the World Series.

It’s human nature to take the foot off the gas a bit when a three-peat is the goal and it’s just past Memorial Day weekend. Yet despite some snags and less-than-ideal opening months from major names, the Dodgers are right where everyone expected them to be. It feels like it might be smoother sailing from here on out, especially if Betts gets going. And that should be terrifying for every other team trying to unseat the champs.

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