Is there anything Mookie Betts can’t do?
Betts, a six-time Gold Glove Award winner in the outfield, occasionally has played second base since joining the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 2020 trade with the Boston Red Sox. And now, the 30-year-old could be on the verge of adding shortstop to his résumé.
Betts never has played shortstop at the major league level, yet Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on Tuesday left the door open for such a move as injuries continue to mount at the position for Los Angeles. Gavin Lux is out for the season with a torn ACL, Chris Taylor suffered a side injury earlier this week and Miguel Rojas landed on the injured list Wednesday with a hamstring strain.
“There’s a chance I might slide him over to shortstop,” Roberts said of Betts, per MLB.com. “He looks extremely natural. The guy can play anywhere on a baseball field.”
Betts, who hasn’t played since Monday while on paternity leave, last appeared at shortstop in 2012 with Single-A Lowell. The Red Sox drafted him as an infielder in the fifth round in 2011, with second base soon becoming his primary home in the minors. But he later transitioned to the outfield ahead of his 2014 MLB debut and the position change stuck, with Betts blossoming into an elite defender on the grass.
That said, Betts still has a soft spot for the infield, evident in the pregame drills he goes through with the Dodgers. So, it’s not all that surprising he’d be willing to log innings at shortstop, a position he grew up playing, as Los Angeles looks to overcome its depleted infield depth.
“I think there were some reservations about him playing second base last year and he quickly put those to bed,” Roberts said of Betts, who played seven games (46 innings) at the keystone in 2022. “So, it’s going to be the same thing.”
Betts, a six-time All-Star, boasts one of the most dynamic skill sets in baseball, and he’s only adding new tricks in his 10th MLB season.
