Dodgers: Occasional Starts at Second Base Help L.A., a 'Lot of Fun' for Mookie

Mookie Betts is a Gold Glove outfielder, but occasional starts at second base help him and the Dodgers, giving him a fun opportunity while resting his body.

Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts was drafted as a shortstop by the Red Sox in 2011 and came through the Boston minor-league system as a middle infielder, playing mostly second base until they began trying him out in the outfield in 2014.

Betts moved quickly once he shifted to the outfield, going from Double-A to the majors in that 2014 season. Other than a handful of games in the infield that rookie 2014 season, Betts has essentially been a full-time outfielder since then.

Since coming to the Dodgers, manager Dave Roberts has occasionally used second base as a way to get Betts half a day off, playing a less demanding physical position to rest his body a bit.

As Betts told reporters the other day, he really enjoys playing second base, and not just for the break.

“Being able to play second base is kind of something I’ve been doing my whole life. Getting to go back there’s just a lot of fun for me personally. I really, really do enjoy it, but they pay me to catch these fly balls.”

Mookie recognizes that he brings more value to the team playing Gold Glove defense in right field, especially with his rifle of a right arm that isn't properly utilized making the shortest throws on the field.

But it was hard to hide the smile on his face last week as he played a couple games at second base, especially when he and shortstop Trea Turner combined to make a slick play on a grounder up the middle.

The Dodgers are a better team when Betts' bat is in the lineup, though, and if an occasional start at second can accomplish that and make Mookie happy, all the better for everyone.