Mookie Betts Is Proving Why You Never Doubt Him
After struggling to recover from a brutal illness throughout the past year, Betts seems to have finally returned to form.
With the conclusion of their Sunday night matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Los Angeles Dodgers have officially finished out the first half of the 2026 season.
It was a rather disappointing weekend for the Dodgers. Coming into the series hot off of a 9-3 stretch, the Dodgers had hoped to replicate the same success they’ve had all year and end the first half on a high note. Instead, they were swept in their three-game weekend set against the Diamondbacks.
However, the weekend was not all disappointments. Notably, star shortstop Mookie Betts achieved a pivotal milestone for his tenure in Los Angeles.
With Friday’s game against the Diamondbacks, Betts officially played his 795th game for the Dodgers. Six years after the Dodgers’ blockbuster trade with the Boston Red Sox, Betts has officially played more games wearing Dodger Blue than he had played for the Red Sox.
Betts’ impact on the Dodgers is impossible to ignore. His arrival to the franchise marked a key turning point for the ball club. After falling to Betts’ Red Sox in the 2018 World Series, the Dodgers have won three championships during his tenure.
However, in spite of the Dodgers’ victory in 2025, Betts has been uncharacteristically quiet over the past year and change. Much of his diminished play can be attributed to his brutal recovery from illness throughout last year.
His struggles bled into the 2026 season. Many jumped to attribute Betts’ offensive breakdown to his age and recent transition to play shortstop full-time. However, he has shown lately that these assumptions may well be unfounded.
Burning the Candle at Both Ends
In seasons past, Betts has missed a few games here and there. Even in 2018, the MVP campaign that saw him hit .346/.438/.640 and accrue a gaudy 10.2 fWAR on the year, he only played in 136 games.
Injuries happen, and Betts has been no stranger to them throughout his career. Since 2021 alone, he has missed time due to hip inflammation, fractured ribs, both ankle and foot injuries, a broken left hand, and an oblique strain.
However, the setbacks he suffered in 2025 were a new frontier altogether. Betts came down with a stomach virus prior to the Dodgers’ trip to Japan for the Tokyo Series. He had intended to play. However, his condition became so severe that Betts found himself flying home before the series had started.
By the time Betts had recovered from the virus, his body had been decimated. Various figures have been reported, but it was estimated that he had lost around 20 pounds. Listed at just 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, this resulted in a major loss of strength.
As if battling the virus wasn’t tough enough, Betts was faced with a dual challenge in 2025. Not only did he have to compete and help lead his team forward through the grind of a 162-game season, but he had to do so while actively working to rebuild his body. In spite of his setbacks, Betts played in 150 games in 2025.
Not Quite My Tempo
The results were not necessarily bad. He still put together a 3.4-fWAR season, hitting .258/.326/.406 on the year with 20 home runs. Not for nothing, he also did so as one of the premier defenders at shortstop across MLB.
However, these results are a far cry from the production Dodgers fans have become accustomed to from Betts. After all, he had put up massive seasons in 2022 and 2023. He also put up a 140 wRC+ with 19 home runs over 116 games in 2024. Though, a fractured left hand in June limited his overall season output.
Still, any rational fan could understand why 2025 would be an off year for Betts. The real worries began to seep in when Betts’ struggles continued into the 2026 season.
He spent the offseason fully recovering from his illness, focusing on slowly building muscle and strength without diminishing the athleticism he is known for. Coming into the 2026 season, Betts reported feeling back to normal with a consistent swing.
The Dodgers’ hitting coach, Robert Van Scoyoc, confirmed that Betts’ bat speed had dropped around five mph last year. He had never been a bat-speed savant to begin with, so this limitation made it difficult for Betts to make swing decisions with proper timing.
With these issues seemingly solved and Betts coming back fully healthy, his early struggles were made all the more glaring. By June 18, Betts was hitting .203/.266/.367 through 40 games. His 74 wRC+ ranked dead last among regular fixtures in the Dodgers’ lineup.
Fans began to worry that Betts’ regression was not a temporary symptom of his illness, but rather the beginning of his decline. However, Betts has eagerly worked to disprove that theory as of late.
Regression to the Mean
Since June 18, Betts has looked much more like the All-Star-caliber player we have come to know.
Over his last 20 games, Betts has hit .300/.349/.513 while walking 7.0% of the time and striking out just 9.3% of the time. His 134 wRC+ ranks third among MLB shortstops with 50 or more plate appearances over this span.
Betts has produced the second-most RBI (13) among his Dodgers teammates during this stretch, trailing only Shohei Ohtani (16). Betts’ defense at shortstop also continues to impress during this span, registering a top-10 defensive value among shortstops, per FanGraphs.
Overall, he has put up 0.9 fWAR over his last 20 games alone, most among his Dodgers teammates. The shift has been immediately noticeable, and a welcome one among teammates and fans alike. Though, the changes did not necessarily come out of nowhere.
When we wrote about Betts’ struggles in mid-June, luck appeared to be a pretty significant factor in Betts’ performance. Compared to his 2025 season numbers, Betts had seen noticeable increases across a number of metrics as of June 18.
Despite his on-field results, deeper analysis suggests that Betts was due for a rebound.
This is further exemplified by Betts’ elite underlying metrics. He showcases a 98th-percentile chase rate (19.7%), 96th-percentile whiff rate (12.5%), 96th-percentile strikeout rate (11.2%), and 96th-percentile launch angle sweet-spot percentage (41.4%).
These figures are not what you would expect to see from a hitter with a .709 OPS on the season. However, having now had some time to settle into the season, Betts has seemingly found the positive regression that he was looking for.
Second-Half Surge
Betts will have some time to recuperate between now and the end of the All-Star festivities. Once the Dodgers head out for their next road trip this weekend, it will be time for him to lock back in.
It has been a tumultuous year and a half for Betts, but his return to form over this past month is worth celebrating. His positive performance lends credence to the notion that he has more in the tank after this year. As a cherry on top, the stabilization of this trend comes just as he has solidified his place as a leader for this generation of Dodgers.
While there is no guarantee as of yet, it is more than likely Betts will enter the MLB Hall of Fame one day. Assuming he makes it in, it has become ever more likely that he will enter the Hall of Fame wearing a Dodgers cap.
Betts’ legacy may be somewhat impacted by his couple of down years. But it shouldn’t.
Growing up, Betts had to battle the preconceived notion that a player of his size could not excel across a variety of sports. However, the generational athlete has proven his worth time and time again. Now into the back half of what has been a Hall of Fame career to this point, he is no stranger to fighting these uphill battles.
Still, his resilience in the face of remarkable adversity and his commitment to continuing to improve his game are admirable. Hopefully for Betts, he’ll be able to show through the second half that he’s got plenty more fight to give.
If the Dodgers want to secure a three-peat, they’ll be counting on his production. Fans can look forward to Betts’ return to the grind this Friday against the New York Yankees.
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Written by
Ryan Murphy is a contributing writer for Just Baseball and graduate of James Madison University. The former Southern California native is an avid fan of the…