Mookie Betts will no longer split time between second base and right field. In 2024, he will be the “everyday second baseman” for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Last season, Betts played 77 games in right field compared to 62 at second base and 12 at shortstop. He started in right field when the team faced righties, but after a conversation with manager Dave Roberts, Betts will play at his preferred position and one that he believes will be easier on his body at 31.
“It’s pretty safe to say that No. 50, Mookie Betts, is going to be our everyday second baseman,” Roberts said on MLB Network on Monday.
Dave Roberts talked to Mookie Betts and agreed second base would be the best position to keep him on the field for close to 162 games. Betts will play RF at times, but primarily second base. #Dodgers
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) December 4, 2023
Even playing at two different spots, Betts helped the Dodgers win the National League West for a second straight year and finished second in NL Most Valuable Player voting to Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr.
Betts hit .307 with 39 home runs and 107 RBIs, as the Dodgers finished 100-62 and paced the NL West by a wide margin. It mattered not as the Arizona Diamondbacks, a division foe, upset Los Angeles in the wild-card round.
Replacing Betts in right field will be lefty Jason Heyward, who the Dodgers signed on a one-year deal. Roberts said they’ll employ Heyward against righties, and the team is looking for a right fielder to play against lefties.
“It’s one of those things where [Betts] is a gold glover out in right field, but I think that when you’re talking about putting together a roster and someone who can be so offensive at second base, you can get more games out of him if he is playing seconds base,” Roberts said. “So now when you get a happy Mookie Betts, a guy who can play in close to 160 games, it makes the Dodgers much better.”
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
