Dodgers leaving shortstop open for Mookie upon return

This story was excerpted from Juan Toribio’s Dodgers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers are in desperate need of reinforcements. As they’ve battled through a multitude of injuries, they have seen their lead atop the National League West go from nine games to just 2 1/2 games, the closest the division race has been since April 25.

Luckily for Los Angeles, the club will have the luxury of welcoming back 2018 American League Most Valuable Player Mookie Betts as early as Monday in Milwaukee. Before suffering a fractured left hand on June 16, Betts was the favorite to win this year’s NL MVP as he handled the shortstop duties.

Betts’ absence has been noticeable since the day he went down. Getting him back will undoubtedly give the Dodgers a boost.

Upon his return, the Dodgers have decided to keep Betts as their starting shortstop. With Miguel Rojas showing some signs of life at the plate this season, Gavin Lux getting back into form and the addition of Tommy Edman at the Trade Deadline, there was some doubt as to whether Betts would have shortstop waiting for him when he returned.

But on Tuesday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced Betts is staying put. Now, the question is: Is that the best decision for the Dodgers?

The answer can be a little complicated. Defensively, the Dodgers have better options. Rojas and Edman have both played the position well in the past. Offensively, of course, Betts is a much better option than Rojas, and Betts playing short opens up opportunities for Jason Heyward and Andy Pages to platoon in right field.

Most importantly, though, is that keeping Betts at shortstop allows the former AL MVP to remain fully engaged. Betts has talked about his desire to play shortstop at a high level. He has put in countless hours over the last few months, which have intensified over the last two weeks as he treats his stint on the injured list as a de facto Spring Training to work on his defense.

That reason alone makes it a prudent decision for the Dodgers to keep Betts at shortstop, at least in the meantime.

“I just want to win,” Betts said. “I’m confident in my abilities to go play wherever. And wherever they think is best for the team, I’ll do it.”