Mookie’s Infield Excellence: The Reason for His…

Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said at the MLB GM Meetings that the Dodgers are planning for Mookie Betts to return to the infield in 2025.

Betts initially began playing in the infield in 2023, when he helped fill in due to injuries to other Dodgers.

The Dodgers planned to keep Betts in the infield during the 2024 season. Betts was tabbed to play second base in spring training, but was moved to shortstop as Gavin Lux struggled at the position. Betts began the season playing shortstop, but returned to right field, his natural position, after returning from a fractured hand injury.

Gomes said that one of the primary reasons to move Betts to the infield is to lower the toll on his body by transitioning him to a less demanding position.

Betts is expected to play second base in 2025 as the Dodgers have Freddie Freeman at first base, Max Muncy at third base, and Tommy Edman/Miguel Rojas at shortstop. Lux could also return to second base.

Rojas told Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain that he is happy to see Betts return to the infield next season.

“Knowing that Mookie is going to be back, it makes me happy,” Rojas told McKain. “It makes me excited to keep working with him and to keep going at it with Mookie at short and second base, because I know how much better he got when the time was there. Imagine now that we can work in the offseason. He’s going to be working on his own throughout this time, and he’s going to be really good at whenever he has to play.”

When Betts initially made the transition to shortstop, Rojas helped teach him the intricacies of the position and improve his game there. Rojas believes that with an entire offseason to train, Betts will come back even better at the position.

The eight-time All-Star is coming off his third World Series championship. During the 2024 season, Betts slashed .289/.372/.490 with 19 home runs and 75 RBIs over 116 games. Rojas, who believes he is entering the final two seasons of his career, added six home runs and 36 RBIs over the course of the season.