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Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts was removed from the lineup on Wednesday, July 1st, without any notice.
The Dodgers announced that Betts was in the batting order, sitting in his usual No. 4 spot.
Betts is being replaced by Miguel Rojas at shortstop, and the Venezuelan will end up batting in seventh.
The righty’s absence went 3-for-5, raising his batting average to .244. His mechanics and swing as a whole look quite put together and the best that they have been all year long.
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Jun 29, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) walks towards the dugout before the start of the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Betts started out as a way-below-average hitter, but he has risen to league average, posting a 103 wRC+. Additionally, with his defensive work especially in focus, he has racked up a 1.3 fWAR.
For context, through June 21, Betts had an 84 wRC+ and had an offensive rating of -3.7, according to FanGraphs.
Why has Mookie Betts started hitting the ball better?
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Jun 24, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Betts has continued to get rough batting luck, with a .234 batting average on balls in play. This number was much lower earlier in the season, indicating there was a good amount of bad hitting luck that was affecting him.
Naturally, as it has risen, so has his offensive production. For Betts, there has not been much in the way of an approach change, rather just continuing to grind behind the scenes.
“Just hit it,” Betts said. “Just see the ball, and hit it. …Now, I mean, it’s just really, really hard. So the less things I can think about, you want to focus on the ball.”
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