Dave Roberts is clear: Mookie Betts won’t be leaving shortstop

Teoscar Hernandez's defense in right field has been the talk of the town for some time now. The Dodgers outfielder has never been a great defensive player, and in the context of the Dodgers trying to build a real baseball machine, it's a weakness the club must try to correct.

And in many people's eyes, the answer is quite simple: send shortstop Mookie Betts back to right field. Not a perfect solution considering the club doesn't have many other options at #6, but it would solve another big problem.

But the Dodgers obviously aren't too interested. The club still hasn't done it… and Dave Roberts has tended to deflect questions on the subject over the last ten days or so.

That said, this time the manager wanted to be very clear: he repeated several times that Betts wasn't going to leave the shortstop.

And that's until the end of the season.

https://twitter.com/dylanohernandez/status/1961826036699820046

Roberts explains that it's not impossible that we could see Betts in the outfield by the end of the year, but only in an emergency. For example, if the club runs out of outfielders at the end of a game and needs to send someone out for an inning or two.

And the reason is simple: Roberts really likes Betts' defense at shortstop. And the numbers bear him out: Betts really is one of the best defensive players in the majors at the #6 position.

Roberts doesn't want to touch a recipe that works.

So the Dodgers will have to find other solutions in the outfield. But if Hernandez's defense continues to be a problem, we'll have to wonder if he'll be able to maintain regular playing time.

Because with Shohei Ohtani blocking the designated hitter spot, it's hard to hide Hernandez in a lineup…

This content was created with the help of AI.