“I can’t speak for everyone. I just know for me, I gotta play better,” said Mookie Betts when asked about his recent struggles a couple of days ago. The Dodgers superstar has always held himself to an elite standard. And with a .238 BA and just 11 HRs deep into the season, even he knows he’s falling short. With the season in its second half now, Betts’ slump feels more like a serious issue than just a temporary cold streak.

Sensing the weight of it all, the Dodgers have gone off-script in a bid to reignite their star. Manager Dave Roberts gave Betts a surprise day-off on Saturday to provide him a much-needed mental reset. Then, in an unconventional move on Sunday, he bumped him back to the leadoff spot. But despite these adjustments, Betts doesn’t seem to have found his spark. And now, a new and potentially troubling update surrounding him is adding fresh concern to an already difficult situation.

Remember Betts missing the 2025 Tokyo Series due to illness? Then again in May, he missed a few games due to a freak toe injury. And that trend seems to continue…

“I know there are some things going on personally for him, so I’ve got to talk to him. We’ll see if he’s going to be there for the Friday game,” Roberts said post the series decider against the Twins, before adding, “There might be some things going on that he might not be around, that he’s got to deal with personally. But everything is OK with him, so we’ll see.”

Well, it’s been a tough season for Betts, since spring training itself, where he caught a stomach bug that caused him to drop nearly 20 pounds. However, he came out swinging once the season began, hitting .316 in his first 10 games. But ever since, it’s been a rough stretch. “I think he’s still not right mechanically, clearly,” Roberts remarked.

Going by Roberts’ statement, it seems Betts might miss the first game against the Red Sox, but should be back for the second. And he will probably continue to play as a leadoff hitter. But what will be the changes in the Dodgers lineup if Betts isn’t available for Friday?

The Dodgers’ contingency plan without Mookie Betts

For now, Betts is expected to stay in the leadoff spot, with Ohtani batting second, at least until Max Muncy returns from his knee injury, which should be sometime next month. But, with the possibility of Betts not being available for Friday, Miguel Rojas may start at shortstop.

And, in Betts’ absence, there’s a good chance we may see Shohei Ohtani back to the leadoff spot.

However, the core concern about Betts remains. When will he recover from his slump? Betts’ performance of late has fallen well below his career standards. In his last 400 plate appearances, his batting average stands at .240, and his on-base plus slugging (OPS) is just .689. These numbers are in stark contrast to his career numbers of .290 BA and .883 OPS. Over his last 30 games, Betts is hitting just .172 with a .478 OPS.

This is Betts’ first full season playing shortstop for the Dodgers after making the switch from the outfield. Understandably, he is still getting used to the new position, but what’s particularly troubling is he just isn’t hitting the ball hard enough anymore. Back in 2018, he was crushing it with a career-best 53.3 percent hard-hit rate. Now in 2025, that number has dropped to 35.1 percent. That’s a noticeable decline because before 2025, he never recorded a hard-hit rate of lower than 39.5 percent.

Will moving him to the leadoff spot spark a turnaround? What do you think?