Inside The Dodgers

Dave Roberts Still 'Mulling' Over Dodgers Lineup Order

Aug 1, 2025; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA;  Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) looks on before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Aug 1, 2025; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) looks on before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is "mulling over" how to order his lineup for the rest of the season with the recent underperformances of Mookie Betts and the impending return of All-Star third baseman Max Muncy, per Jack Harris.

"Dave Roberts said he is still mulling how the batting order will look long-term moving forward (including whether to move Mookie Betts further down)," wrote Harris on X (formerly Twitter). "But he said he felt comfortable with this for today"

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Roberts has swapped around the lineup a few times this season, notably putting Betts at leadoff and moving Shohei Ohtani to second in the lineup for the past few weeks.

Betts hit second in the Dodgers 3-0 win against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, however went 0-for-3 in the contest. After recording back-to-back multi-hit games against the Cincinnati Reds at the end of July, Betts has gone 0-for-16 with a walk.

The former MVP is having a career-worst year at the plate in 2025, posting an OPS of .663 through 102 games so far this season. Heading into this season, Betts hadn't finished a season with an OPS lower than .800. His OPS+ also sits below league average, and would mark the first time he has finished a season below that number.

Despite the shortstop's dip in form, the Dodgers still sit atop the NL West by a margin of 3.5 games after their result. Betts has time to figure out his struggles at the plate, however if they persist until October it could pose a problem for the Dodgers.

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They will hope to see a turnaround in their fan-favorite's production heading into a three-game home series against the St. Louis Cardinals, which starts on Monday at 7:10 p.m. PT.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.


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Aaron Coloma
AARON COLOMA

Aaron Coloma is a contributing writer for On SI based in Los Angeles. A 2024 graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, he previously covered collegiate and high school sports for The Poly Post and Valley Sports Telegram, respectively.

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