It was October 31, 2025, and the Dodgers were facing elimination against the Blue Jays in World Series Game 6. Mookie Betts broke out to smash a crucial two-run single in the early innings, sparking the Dodgers’ offense to a victory that forced a decisive Game 7. The Dodgers expected the same when he returned from injury against the Giants early this month.

The reality was different, though, and Betts is currently batting .165 and has just managed to hit 4 homers so far. And for the fans hoping to see Betts coming out of a slump soon, manager Dave Roberts has a worrying update.

“Dave Roberts said Mookie Betts is ‘not confident in his swing, his mechanics.’ “I think a little bit overthinking, trying too hard, anxious,” Roberts added. “He thinks Mookie is in a similar spot to a lot of the other hitters when they were struggling earlier in the month,” Dodger Blue cited Roberts.

Last year, the scene was no different. By August, he was slashing .241/.311/.365 in 113 games. “I’m going through stuff now that I’ve never had to go through in my entire life. Like, ever. So I don’t know how to get out of this,” Betts admitted back then. It looks like he is still clueless this year.

This year, Betts is making some good contacts. His 2026 hard rate percentage sits at 39.4%, indicating that when he does swing the bat hard, he reliably puts the ball in play. However, runs are not coming in. For instance, against the Brewers, he went 1-for-5 with a strikeout, failing to drive in runs. In another game against the Brewers, he went 0-for-6 with a strikeout and left a season-high six runners on base.

The reason could be that Betts is trying every pitch hard and swinging everything coming to his bat. The same happened with Shohei Ohtani as well. He experienced a brutal stretch early this month where he went 0-for-17 over a five-game stretch and hit just .111, dropping his batting average to .240. Roberts and hitting coach Aaron Bates noted that Ohtani became overly aggressive. His mechanics suffered as he became “pull-happy,” rolling over on pitches and hitting a high volume of grounders to the right side instead of staying inside the ball to drive it to left-center.

Ohtani snapped his slump by hitting a 398-foot home run against the Giants. For Betts, though, the fans are still waiting.

Since last year, injuries and slump took over Mookie Betts. He posted a career-low .244 average alongside an uncharacteristic .370 slugging percentage last year. His average exit velocity and barrel rates steadily declined. His struggles were largely attributed to lingering physical setbacks, specifically dealing with a severe illness early in 2025 that led to a nearly 15-pound weight loss.

This year, it’s no different. Betts sustained a right oblique strain in April that sidelined him for 5 weeks, and now that he is back, struggle continues. Roberts shared Betts’ problem but no solution. And considering the current situation, the Dodgers have less scope in replacing Betts.

The Dodgers have limited options to replace Mookie Betts

While Betts’ slump is well-acknowledged, the bigger question is why the Dodgers are not replacing him. During Betts’ injury, Hyeseong Kim and Miguel Rojas divided the shortstop responsibility. And the worst part is that they both are struggling.

Kim started as the No. 8 batter against the Brewers and went 0-for-4 with 3 SOs. It resulted in a drop in his average from .264 to .251. Last April, Kim was batting .296, but it all went for a toss this month. Till now, Kim is batting .214 in May, and in the last five games, he went for 2-for-15 with 6 SOs. “He’s started reaching for pitches he should be taking.” Roberts said, “In counts where he should be aggressive, he’s become passive.”

Then, Rojas also managed to hit just one homer so far, and what’s probably his last year with the Dodgers, Roberts would surely not plan to replace Mookie Betts with Rojas.

In comparison, despite his batting struggle, Betts brings up Gold Glove-caliber outfield play in right field to playing second base and shortstop. So, till the time the Dodgers are not desperate about promoting someone from the minors, Mookie Betts is here to stay. Fans can only hope that he breaks out of the slump at the earliest.