SAN ANTONIO – Eight-time All-Star Mookie Betts will likely return to the infield in 2025, manning second base or shortstop for the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, general manager Brandon Gomes said Wednesday.
“It could be second, it could be close. We don’t really know yet,” Gomes said at annual GM meetings. “We need to continue to have these conversations. But I think it's a lot more like, 'Hey, Mookie wants to go back to the infield' than anything else.”
“I know that the strain on the body is less with him in the infield. So you can argue on both sides. But the beauty of Mookie is that he's the most selfless superstar we've ever been around. And that permeates the team.”
Editor's Tips
2 relatives
Betts, 32, spent the first 72 games of the 2024 season as the Dodgers' shortstop after splitting time between second base and right field the previous season. With an acute need for outfielders this season, Los Angeles moved Betts back to right guard when he returned from a broken hand on August 12 after a nearly two-month layoff.
Los Angeles could re-sign free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who was a left fielder in 2024 but is a natural right fielder, or it could sign free-agent star Juan Soto, although the team is likely to consider that an expected price shy of $600 million, if not higher.
Betts' versatility fits well with the Dodgers' roster, which also includes Tommy Edman (who plays shortstop and center field), Gavin Lux (a second baseman who has also played shortstop and outfield) and utilityman Chris Taylor. The Dodgers could also venture into the free agent market for former Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames.
“For Mookie, winning always comes first,” Gomes said, “so I wouldn’t be surprised if he said, ‘Hey, this is for the best. I'll play anywhere.' I think catching is probably outside the realm of possibility, although I'm sure he'd be good at that too.
“We are always trying to improve the team and the flexibility is something that is helpful as we look for options on how to improve the team. I don’t think it’s a pressing need, but… If there’s an opportunity to get good players, and this is the best way to do it, then I’m definitely open to it.”
The timetable for the return of star two-way player Shohei Ohtani, who underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a torn labrum in his non-throwing left arm, is unclear, and Gomes said he wasn't sure if Ohtani would be available to pitch on opening day in Tokyo on March 18. Ohtani, 30, is recovering from reconstructive surgery on his right elbow – the second time he has needed such a procedure – and has not pitched in 2024.
Ohtani tore his labrum and partially dislocated his shoulder while sliding into second base on a stolen base attempt in Game 2 of the World Series. Although he continued to play through the injury, Ohtani struggled in the series against the New York Yankees. He is expected to be ready for spring training, Gomes said, although his rehabilitation could affect the preparation of his pitching plan for the offseason.
“We'll see how he gets through this phase and then take it step by step, because with someone who also hits, it's complicated,” Gomes said. “So we're just going to make sure we check every box to make sure he's in the best possible position health-wise, and whatever comes out of this smart, methodical process will be what it is.”
The Dodgers are expected to move to a six-man rotation, with right-handers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, two other pitchers injured – right-handers Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May – and left-hander Clayton Kershaw. a free agent who plans to play for Los Angeles in 2025.
“As always,” Gomes said, “Kersh is our top priority.”
Another top priority, Gomes said, is signing manager Dave Roberts, whose contract expires after the 2025 season, to a long-term extension “while we can see it.”
